Part Two – Ezekiel 25:1-33:20

Punishment of the Nations

Punishment of the countries near Judah – Ezekiel 25:1-17

·In the ancient world, all the nations had different
gods. People often thought that their gods were only powerful in their own
nations. Really, their gods had no power. The *LORD is the only real God. He
created heaven and earth. So, he is the judge of every nation. And he told
Ezekiel to declare his judgement against the nations that were near Judah.

Chapter 25

Punishment of Ammon – Ezekiel 25:1-7

v1 The *LORD spoke to me. v2 ‘*Son of man,
look toward the *Ammonites and *prophesy against them. v3 Say to them,
“Hear the words of the *LORD your King. This is what the *LORD your King says
to you. You were glad when people destroyed my *temple. You were glad when the
armies ruined the nation called *Israel. You were glad when the people from
Judah went into *exile. v4 Therefore, I will give you to the people in
the East to be theirs. They will build their camps and they will have their
tents among you. They will eat your fruit and they will drink your milk. v5
I will make the city called Rabbah into a field for camels to feed in. The
country called Ammon will be a place for sheep to rest. Then you will know that
I am the *LORD. v6 This is what the *LORD your King says. You clapped
your hands and you jumped because of joy. You laughed with all your spite
against the nation called *Israel. v7 Because of this, I will use my
power against you. I will give you to the nations who will rob you. Then you
will not exist among the countries. You will never again be a nation. I will
destroy you. Then you will know that I am the *LORD.” ’

Verses 1-7 Ammon was a country to the north-east of Judah. It was
on the edge of the desert that is east of the Jordan River. Ammon was to the
north of the country called Moab. It was between the rivers called Arnon and
Jabbok. The chief city was Rabbah. Rabbah was in the place that is now called
Amman, in Jordan.

In about 600 *BC, Ammon joined Babylon to fight against Judah (2
Kings 24:2). In 594 *BC, Ammon joined a plot to fight against Babylon. This was
with Edom, Moab, Tyre and Sidon. They tried to involve Judah in that plot
(Jeremiah chapter 27). The plot failed.

When the *Babylonians destroyed the *temple, the *Ammonites were
glad. They took delight in the defeat of Judah. They were glad when the *Jews
went into *exile. They laughed and they clapped their hands with joy. Because
of this, God was angry with them.

The *Lord would send the *Babylonians to destroy Ammon. It would
not exist as a country again. This happened in the year 582 *BC. This was about
5 years after the *Babylonians had destroyed Jerusalem.

The *Babylonians would either kill the *Ammonites or they would
take them away as *exiles. People from the east would come and they would live
in the country.

What the *Lord says will happen. This shows that *Israel’s God is
the only real God.

Punishment of Moab – Ezekiel 25:8-11

v8 ‘This is what the *LORD your King says. “Moab and
Edom spoke about the people from Judah. ‘Look, Judah is like all the other
nations.’ v9 Because of this, I will cause armies to attack the cities
on the border of Moab. They will attack Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon and
Kiriathaim, the best cities in the country. v10 Then I will give Moab,
with the *Ammonites, to the people from the east. They will possess the
country. Moab, like Ammon, will never again be a nation. v11 So, I will
punish the *Moabites. And they will know that I am the *LORD.” ’

Verses 8-11 The territory of Moab was south of the Arnon River.
It was along the lower region to the east of the Dead Sea.

This was the *sin of Moab. They said that *Israel was like all
the other nations. In effect, they said that *Israel’s God was like any other
god. And the *Moabites laughed when the *Babylonians defeated Judah (Jeremiah
48:27). Because of these insults, the *Lord would allow Moab’s enemies to destroy
it.

Armies would attack from the north. They would come into the best
cities first. These cities were the border towns of Moab. They were called
Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon and Kiriathaim. These three cities were north of the
Arnon River. This had been part of the territory of *Israel.

The *Babylonians attacked Moab in the year 583 *BC. They killed
the *Moabites or they took them away into *exile. People came from the east and
they lived in the country. From that time, the nation called Moab did not
exist.

By this punishment, people will know that the *Lord is the only
real God.

Punishment of Edom – Ezekiel 25:12-14

v12 ‘This is what the *LORD the King says about Edom.
“The people in Edom were cruel in what they did against Judah. They are guilty
because of what they did. v13 Therefore, this is what the *LORD your
King says. I will use my power against Edom. I will kill its men and animals
and I will destroy Edom. From Teman to Dedan, the inhabitants of Edom will die
by the sword. v14 I will use my people *Israel to destroy Edom. The
*Israelites will do to them all that my anger demands. And they shall know that
I, the *LORD your King, have punished them.” ’

Verses 12-14 Edom was the territory south of Moab. It was from
the Dead Sea to the Gulf (bay) called Aqaba.

Isaac had two sons, Esau and Jacob. Esau was the *ancestor of
Edom. Jacob was the *ancestor of *Israel. There had always been trouble between
Edom and *Israel. Edom (also called Seir) wanted to possess *Israel and Judah
(Ezekiel 35:10). Edom had attacked *Israel often.

God promised to destroy Edom. He would kill the people and the
animals. To do this, he would use the *Israelites. The *Babylonians attacked
Edom and they destroyed much of Edom. But it remained as a nation. Then in the
year 126 *BC, John Hyrcanus led *Israel in the defeat of Edom. Since that
attack, Edom has not existed.

Ezekiel said that this would happen in time. Then the people
would know that this punishment came from the *Lord God of *Israel.

Punishment of Philistia – Ezekiel 25:15-17

v15 ‘This is what the *LORD your King says about the
*Philistines. “The *Philistines have been cruel and they have always fought
against my people, Judah. They have tried to *destroy my people because they
hate them. v16 Therefore, this is what the *LORD your King says: I will
use my power against the *Philistines. I will kill the *Cherethites. I will
*destroy the people that live on the coast. v17 Because of my fierce
anger, I will punish them. They will know that I am the *LORD because of this
punishment.” ’

Verses 15-17 Philistia was to the west of Judah and it reached to
the Mediterranean Sea.

All through the history of the country called *Israel, the
*Philistines had been enemies. They hated *Israel and they were a cruel nation.
King David managed to beat them but afterwards they became a strong nation.
King Jehoshaphat defeated them and King Uzziah made them serve him. They were
strong against King Jehoram and King Ahaz.

So, the *Lord said that he would destroy Philistia. The
*Cherethites and the people that live on the coast were the *Philistines. The
*Babylonians may have destroyed Philistia. Philistia has not existed as a
nation since that time.

Punishment of Tyre and Sidon – Ezekiel 26:1-28:24

·God told Ezekiel to declare his (God’s) judgement
against the great commercial cities called Tyre and Sidon. These cities had
become very wealthy and very proud. In fact, they were so proud that God
compared their king to Satan (the devil). This passage is also similar to
Revelation chapter 18. That chapter is about the end of the great commercial
powers that rule the world.

Chapter 26

The punishment of Tyre – Ezekiel 26:1-14

v1 The *LORD spoke to me on the first day of the
month in the 11th year during our *exile. v2 ‘*Son of man, the
inhabitants of Tyre have spoken against Jerusalem. “When a gate is broken, its
doors swing open. Jerusalem used to be a great city, which traders from the
nations would enter. But now, Jerusalem is a broken city. So, we have new
opportunities to trade. We can make money because the nations have ruined
Jerusalem.” v3 Therefore, this is what the *LORD your King says to Tyre.
I am against you, Tyre. I will cause many nations to go up against you. They
will be like the waves of the sea that flood your shores. v4 They will
destroy the walls of Tyre. They will break down its strong buildings. I will
remove all its soil and I will make it a bare rock. v5 Tyre will be a
place by the sea where people dry their fishing nets. I have spoken, says the
*LORD your King. The nations will destroy Tyre. v6 And they will kill
the people who live in its towns along the coast. Then they will know that I am
the *LORD.

v7 This is what the *LORD your King says. I will
bring a king from the north against Tyre. He is Nebuchadnezzar, king of
Babylon. He is the most powerful king. He will come with his horses, carts,
horsemen and a large army. v8 He will kill the people who live in the
country. Then he will prepare to attack you, Tyre. He will build a road of
earth to the top of the walls. His army will raise their *shields against you. v9
He will beat holes in the city walls with poles. And with axes, he will destroy
your strong buildings. v10 He will have so many horses that the dust
from their feet will cover you. The walls will shake at the noise of the
horses, the wagons and the carts. The king of Babylon will enter your gates as
men enter a city through holes in the walls. v11 The feet of his horses
will run over all your streets. He will kill your people with the sword. And
your strong buildings will fall to the ground. v12 The soldiers will
take away your wealth. They will steal your goods. They will break down your
walls and they will destroy your nice houses. They will throw the stones, the
wood, and all that remains of the houses into the sea. v13 So, I will
stop your noisy songs. Nobody will hear the sound of music from you. v14
I will make Tyre a bare rock. It will be a place to dry fishing nets. Nobody
will build Tyre again because I, the *LORD, have said so. That is what the
*LORD declares.’

Verses 1-14 The 11th year of the *exile was April 587 to March
586 *BC. This was after the *Babylonians had destroyed Jerusalem. That happened
in the summer of 587 *BC. Therefore, the date of this *prophecy was after that
event, but still during the 11th year.

Tyre was a city in Phoenicia, which was to the north of Samaria.
It was on the Mediterranean Sea. Tyre was both on the coast and on an island.
Tyre was a great commercial city and port. From its trade, it had become
wealthy.

The inhabitants of Tyre thought that the defeat of Jerusalem was
good news. Jerusalem had been a city of trade. It had controlled the trade
routes from Egypt and Arabia to the north. Tyre saw an opportunity to take that
trade. By this, the people in Tyre would earn more wealth. They desired the
wealth that would come from Jerusalem. That was an awful attitude to have after
the terrible events in Jerusalem. The inhabitants of Tyre did not care that
such a *disaster had come to Jerusalem. Because of this attitude, God was angry
with Tyre.

God would punish Tyre. He would bring the nations against it and
they would destroy it. They would come like the waves of the sea upon the
shore. The nations would break the walls of Tyre and they would destroy all the
buildings. The land of the city would become just bare rock where men would dry
their nets.

From 586 to 573 *BC, the *Babylonians fought against the city.
They defeated Tyre. And they forced the city to serve them. Afterwards, for a
brief time, Tyre became free again. Then in 525 *BC, the Persians (people from
Persia) took control of it. Then in 332 *BC the Greeks (people from Greece)
under Alexander the Great came. They knocked down all the buildings on the
shore. They pushed all that remained of the buildings into the sea. This made a
road of about half a mile to the island that they destroyed. The road became a
place to dry fishing nets. Later, near to that place, there was another small
city called Tyre. After that, the Romans came and they ruled that city. In the
14th century *AD, the Saracens (Arabs) destroyed the city. There is now a town
called Tyre but it is not at the original place.

The *Lord told Ezekiel that he would bring the king of Babylon
from the north. This king, Nebuchadnezzar, would attack Tyre with a vast army.
The *Lord told how Nebuchadnezzar would break into Tyre. He would kill the
people in Tyre and in the country. He would destroy the city.

All the action in verses 7 to 11 is the attack by Nebuchadnezzar.
In verse 12, the passage uses the word ‘they’. It is describing the actions of
many soldiers. These will include the armies from Persia and the Greece.
Together, these armies brought about the results in verses 13 and 14.

The fear of the people who live near Tyre – Ezekiel 26:15-18

v15 ‘This is what the *LORD the King says to Tyre.
The people who live along the coast will hear about your defeat. They will hear
the screams of people in Tyre. People there will suffer and die. The people who
live along the coast will tremble because of their fear. v16 And all the
rulers of the coast will get down from their *thrones. They will strip off all
their fine clothes. They will tremble because of fear and they will sit on the
ground. They will be so afraid. When they see you, Tyre, it will be a terrible
shock for them. v17 They will sing a funeral song about you. “Tyre, you
were a famous city. The armies have destroyed you. You used to control the
trade on the sea but you have lost that power. Those who lived by the sea were
afraid of you. v18 You have *fallen. Now the people who live by the
coast tremble because of fear. And the people who live on islands in the sea
are afraid because of your defeat.” ’

Verses 15-18 Many small states along the coast and on the islands
depended on Tyre. Tyre was protecting those states for its own benefit. The
news of the defeat of Tyre would make them afraid. They would not know what
would happen to them. Their rulers would give up their power. It seems that
they would not even try to oppose the *Babylonians. They would give in without a
fight.

They will be sad at the loss of Tyre. They will sing this funeral
song about Tyre.

The final end of Tyre – Ezekiel 26:19-21

v19 ‘This is what the *LORD your King says. I will
make Tyre an empty city. Nobody shall live there. I will bring the deep water
over it. The sea will cover it. v20 I will send you (Tyre) down to the
place of dead people. You will join those people who died long ago. You will
stay below the earth with the dead people. It will be as in places that someone
has ruined. You will not come back from there. You will never live again. v21
I will bring great terror upon you and I will destroy you. People will look for
you, but they will never find you again. That is what the *LORD your King
says.’

Verses 19-21 God will make sure that Tyre will never be strong
again. It will never be such an important place for trade as it once was. Tyre
will be a dead city. And nobody will live there again. Its situation will be as
hopeless as the situation of a person in hell. People would not live in Tyre
again. Even its land will not still exist. The sea will cover all that remains
of the city.

Chapter 27

A funeral song for Tyre – Ezekiel 27:1-11

v1 The *LORD spoke his word to me again. v2
‘*Son of man, sing a funeral song for the city called Tyre. v3 Tyre has
ports on the coast of the sea. It is a place of trade for the people from many
countries. Speak to Tyre: “The *LORD your King says to you. You have said that
your beauty is perfect. v4 Your borders are in the heart of the seas.
Your builders made you like a ship, and its beauty was perfect. v5 They
made all your wooden boards of trees from Senir. They took a tall tree from
Lebanon to make a pole for your sails. v6 They made your oars from the
strong wood of Bashan. They made your decks from trees. The trees came from the
coast of Cyprus. They laid *ivory in your decks. v7 Your sail was of
fine cloth from Egypt with beautiful patterns on it. Your sail was your special
flag. The covers on your decks were blue and purple cloth from the coasts of
Elishah. v8 Men from Sidon and Arvad moved you while they pulled on the
oars. Your own skilled men from Tyre were your sailors. v9 Men of
experience from Gebal were on your ship. They maintained the ship and they did
all the repairs. All the ships of the sea and their sailors came to trade with
you. v10 Men from the countries called Persia, Lydia and Put served as
soldiers in your army. With their clothes and *weapons ready for battle, they
made you famous. v11 Men from Arvad and Helech were on your city walls.
Men from Gammad were in your strong buildings. They hung their *shields on your
walls. They made your beauty perfect.” ’

In this chapter, ‘you’ means the city called Tyre. The chapter is
in the form of a song. It records what the traders in Tyre achieved. But the
chapter describes those things in a sad manner, as if Tyre’s enemies had
already destroyed the city.

Verses 1-3 The neighbours had sung a funeral song for Tyre
(Ezekiel 26:17-18). This new funeral song is one that Ezekiel would sing. They
sang funeral songs because Tyre’s enemies would destroy the city completely. It
was as if the city itself had died. So, that was like the death of an important
person. And the reason why God issued this judgement against Tyre was the proud
attitudes of its inhabitants. Tyre was a most important city because of trade.
And the inhabitants of Tyre were very proud about the city’s importance.

Tyre had two ports. The one in the north was a natural harbour.
This was the port called Sidon. They built a harbour in the south. This was
called the ‘Egyptian port’. Tyre was in a good position on the Mediterranean
Sea. So, the trade to and from Asia passed through these ports. And the people
in Tyre became wealthy.

Verses 4-11 Trade had made Tyre so important that it seemed to
rule the seas. It traded with all the countries round the Mediterranean Sea.

In this song, Ezekiel sings of Tyre as of a ship. In other words,
he describes the city as a poet would describe a splendid ship. The builders
used the best materials when they made it. The wood for the ship itself came
from the pine trees of *Mount Hermon (Senir). The pole for the sails was a tall
cedar tree from Lebanon. The oars were from the strong oak trees of Bashan.
Bashan is a district at the east of the sea called Galilee. The deck was of
cypress wood and *ivory from Cyprus. The sail and the flags were of *Egyptian
cloth. And the covers for the deck were purple and blue materials from Elishah.
We do not know where Elishah was. It seems that Elishah was, perhaps, not an
actual place. It could be the name of a *tribe of people. Their *ancestor was
the son of Javan (Genesis 10:4).

All the materials in this description were the best materials
that anyone could buy. They were beautiful materials and their quality was
excellent. They came from countries all round the Mediterranean Sea. The ship
that Ezekiel describes would be a very beautiful ship. So, Tyre was a wonderful
and wealthy city.

Tyre was in Phoenicia. This was the country to the north of
*Israel. It is the modern Lebanon, but it extended south to include Acco
(Acre). All the crew were from the cities of Phoenicia. They were from Sidon,
Arvad and Gebal.

Soldiers came from places far away to defend Tyre. They came from
Persia, Lydia and Put. They joined with soldiers from other towns in Phoenicia.

Tyre was such a great city that it seemed to control the
Mediterranean Sea. And Tyre had used its power well. The city gathered
everything that it needed to make itself splendid. It hired skilled workmen.
And its army was strong. But Tyre’s wealth and power could not protect the
city. And its army would be unable to defend it. Enemies would destroy the city.

The trade of Tyre – Ezekiel 27:12-24

v12 ‘ “The people from Tarshish traded with you
because of your great wealth. You sold to them and they paid you with silver,
iron, tin, and *lead.

v13 People from Javan, Tubal and Meshech traded with
you. They exchanged slaves and *bronze objects for the things that you sold.

v14 People from Beth Togarmah traded your goods for
horses. They brought horses for work and they brought horses for war. And they
brought *mules.

v15 The people from Rhodes traded with you. You
traded with many places along the coast. They paid you with *ivory and *ebony.

v16 People from Aram traded with you, because you had
so many good things to sell. They traded your goods for *turquoise cloth,
purple cloth, and cloth with designs on it. Also, they paid you with fine
cloth, shells and precious stones.

v17 People from Judah and *Israel traded with you.
They paid you with wheat from Minnith, cakes, honey, oil and medicine.

v18 People from Damascus traded with you because you
had many products and many good things to sell. They gave you wine from Helbon
and white wool from Zahar.

v19 People from Dan and Javan traded with you objects
of iron, and wood that had a sweet smell.

v20 The people from Dedan traded saddle blankets with
you.

v21 People from Arabia and all the rulers of Kedar
traded with you. They supplied you with young sheep, male sheep and goats.

v22 The merchants from Sheba and Raamah traded with
you. They bought your goods. They paid you with all the best *spices, precious
stones, and gold.

v23 People from Haran, Canneh and Eden traded with
you. And merchants from Sheba, Asshur and Kilmad traded with you. v24
They were in your market. There, they paid you with the best clothes, blue
cloth, and cloth with beautiful designs. And they traded with well-made carpets
that had many colours.” ’

Verses 12-24 These verses contain a list of the peoples that traded
with Tyre. They also show the wide range of goods that passed through Tyre. We
do not know all the places in this passage.

·Tarshish could have been a place in the south of Spain.

·Javan was Greece. Tubal and Meshech were *tribes north
of the Black Sea.

·Beth Togarmah was probably in Turkey or Armenia.

·Aram was Syria.

·Judah and *Israel traded with wheat from Minnith.
Minnith was an area in Ammon.

·Dedan was probably in the south of Arabia. That would
be in the area of the Persian Gulf (bay).

·Sheba and Raamah were probably in Arabia.

We are not sure where the places in verse 23 were. But they seem
to be cities in the region called Mesopotamia.

People travelled hundreds of miles to trade in Tyre. They brought
all their best goods to sell there. But all this trade would end when Tyre’s
enemies destroyed the city.

Tyre’s end is like a ship that sinks – Ezekiel 27:25-36

v25 ‘ “The ships of Tarshish carried the things that
you sold. You were like a ship full of heavy goods in the middle of the sea. v26
The men who pulled your oars brought you out into the sea. But the east wind
will break you into pieces in the heart of the sea. v27 You will lose
your wealth. All that you had for sale and your goods will sink down into the
sea. Those people who maintained your ship with the seamen and sailors will
sink with you. On the day that your ship sinks in the sea, your salesmen,
soldiers and all on the ship will die. v28 The people on the shore will
tremble with fear when your sailors cry out. v29 All the men who pull
the oars will leave their ships. The seamen and the sailors of other ships will
stand on the shore. v30 They will cry aloud about you. They will cry
like people who are in much pain. They will throw dust on their heads. They
will roll in ashes. This shows how sad they will be. v31 They will shave
their heads because of you. They will put on rough clothes to show how much
this event has upset them. They will be very sad and they will weep because of
you. They will cry aloud. v32 As they cry aloud, they will sing a
funeral song for you. ‘There is no city like Tyre. It is now silent in the
middle of the sea. v33 When your goods went out on the seas, you
satisfied many nations. With your great wealth and goods, you made kings of the
world rich. v34 Now the sea has broken you and you have sunk in the deep
waters. Your goods and all the people on your ship have gone down with you. v35
All those people who live along the shore heard the news about you. And it
frightened them. Their kings also tremble with fear. Their terror shows on
their faces. v36 The merchants among the nations laugh at you. You have
suffered a terrible end, and you will not exist again.’ ” ’

Verses 25-27 The song continues to show how Tyre will end. Tyre
was like a ship at sea. It was heavy and it was full of goods. The ship was
away from the shelter of the shore. The east wind blew upon the ship. The ship
broke up and it began to sink. All its goods and all its crew went down with
the ship.

In the song, the east wind means Babylon. The *Babylonians will
come from the east and they will destroy Tyre.

Verses 28-32a (Verse 32a means the first part of verse 32.) Those
people who had traded with Tyre will hear what happened. They will tremble and
they will be afraid. Those people who worked with Tyre will be sad. Ezekiel
shows them as like people at a funeral. People behaved in such a manner after
the death of someone whom they loved.

Verses 32b-36 (Verse 32b means the last part of verse 32.) The
people had never seen the end of such a great city. It was so sudden and they
had not expected it. By its trade, it had been great. Tyre had supplied the
nations with its goods. Now nothing remained of its wealth. Tyre had gone. It
had disappeared like a ship that sinks to the bottom of the sea. The nations
were afraid that the same thing could happen to them.

Chapter 28

Against the ruler of Tyre – Ezekiel 28:1-10

v1 The *LORD spoke to me again. v2 ‘*Son of
man, speak to the ruler of Tyre. “This is what the *LORD the King says to you.
You are proud. You say, ‘I am a god. I sit in the seat of gods in the middle of
the seas.’ But you are a man and not a god. You think that you are as wise as a
god. v3 You think that you are wiser than Daniel. You think you can find
out all secrets. v4 By wisdom and by what you understand you have made
yourself rich. You have gained gold and silver. And you have stored it for
yourself. v5 You have traded with great skill. You have increased your
wealth. Because of your valuable possessions, you have become proud.

v6 Therefore, the *LORD the King says this to you.
You think that you are wise like a god. v7 So, I will bring foreign
people against you. They will be cruel enemies to you. They will pull out their
swords against you. They will destroy all that your wisdom has achieved. They
will ruin all your beautiful things. v8 They will kill you. You will die
a terrible death. You will die like those who drown in the sea. v9 You
will not say then, ‘I am a god.’ You will be only a man, not a god, when they
murder you. v10 You will die the death of a person who is not holy to
me. Foreigners will kill you. I have declared it, says the *LORD the King.” ’

Verses 1-5 The ruler of Tyre was a man called Ethbaal II or
Ithobal II. People thought of him as a wise man. With great skill, he gained
enormous wealth. But with his success, he became proud. The kings of Tyre
believed that their *ancestors were the gods. But this man was especially
proud. He thought that he was a god. Tyre was called the seat or *throne of the
gods. Ithobal sat on that seat as the god king. He thought that his wisdom was
the wisdom of a god. The *Lord reminds King Ithobal that he (the king) is just
a man and not a god.

Daniel was an *exile from Jerusalem. He had become a leader in
Babylon as he served King Nebuchadnezzar. He was the author of the Book of
Daniel. He was a wise man. Ezekiel could mean this man when he writes about
Daniel. There was another man called Daniel or Danel who lived before 1400 *BC.
He was a ruler who became famous because of his wisdom. We know almost nothing
about him. Ezekiel may have meant this Daniel rather than the other one.

Verses 6-10 The *Lord would punish this ruler and the people in
Tyre because they were proud. Ithobal thought that he was a god but he would
die as a mere man. The *Lord would bring King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon to
destroy the city. He would ruin all that Ithobal had achieved. The *Babylonians
would be cruel and Ithobal would die a terrible death.

The *Babylonians surrounded Tyre for 12 years. They arrived there
in the year 585 *BC. Then, in 573 *BC, they destroyed the city.

A funeral song for the king of Tyre – Ezekiel 28:11-19

v11 The *LORD spoke to me again. v12 ‘*Son of
man, sing a funeral song for the king of Tyre. Say this to him. “The *LORD the
King says. You were the perfect model. You were full of wisdom and you were
perfect in beauty. v13 You were in Eden, the garden of God. You wore
every type of precious stone. These were the stones called ruby, topaz,
emerald, chrysolite, onyx, jasper, *sapphire, *turquoise and
*beryl. Gold was the base of all your precious things. I prepared them on
the day that I created you. v14 I especially chose you and I appointed
you to be a *cherub. I put you on God’s holy mountain. You walked among the
stones of fire. v15 At first, when I had created you, you were perfect.
For a time your life was without blame. But then you did what was evil. v16
You were too busy. You bought and sold things. This caused you to become cruel
and you *sinned. So, I threw you down from God’s mountain. Because of your
*sin, you, the special *cherub, were not fit to be there. I forced you to leave
the stones of fire. v17 You were too proud because of your beauty. You
ruined your wisdom because of your greatness. I threw you down to the earth. I
will put you in front of kings, so that they may see you. v18 You have
done many evil things. You cheated when you traded with the merchants. You have
ruined your holy places. Therefore, I made a fire come out from you. That fire
burned and it destroyed you. I made you into ashes on the ground. All who
watched saw you. v19 All the nations who knew you saw this event. And
what they saw caused them shock. Your end was awful. And you will not exist
again.” ’

Verses 11-14 This is a hard passage to understand. It seems to be
a funeral song for Ithobal. But several of the phrases are too grand to
describe any man, even a great king. It seems that the king of Tyre is a model
of someone else. That other person had been perfect in wisdom and beauty. No
man could be perfect in this way. The meaning of this passage must be at two
levels. In other words, there are actually two meanings. The main person in
verses 12 to 17 is Satan (the devil). In verses 18 and 19, the main person is
Ithobal, the king of Tyre.

Satan (the devil) had been in Eden, the Garden of God. The first
chapters of Genesis describe the Garden called Eden. It was not possible that a
king of Tyre could have been there. In the garden, there were Adam, Eve, and
the snake, which was Satan.

Ezekiel thought about the king of Tyre. In that man, there was an
evil power. That power caused the king to be an enemy of God. Ezekiel saw the
work of Satan (the devil) in the king. Because Satan was proud, God punished him.
And God would punish the king of Tyre because he was proud, too.

Satan (the devil) had been perfect in wisdom and beauty. The
precious stones show how important he was. God created him and God chose him to
be special. God gave a position of honour to him. He walked among the stones of
fire. God’s *glory was like the fire. Satan was close to God.

Verses 15-19 At first Satan (the devil) was perfect and without
blame. But he wanted to be equal with God. He was so proud that he tried to
take the authority of God.

Verse 16 seems to show the effect on the king of Tyre. He became
cruel and he *sinned.

God punished Satan (the devil) and God forced him to leave
heaven. Satan had to leave the high (superior) place that he had. He could not
walk in the *glory of God. God threw him down to the earth. And God has an even
worse punishment for Satan in the future. Satan will burn in a place where the
fires are continuous (Revelation 20:10). His punishment will last always.

The king of Tyre also did evil things. So, God would punish him
and his people. The city called Tyre would burn with fire. And, after its final
punishment, nobody would ever rebuild it.

*Prophecy against Sidon – Ezekiel 28:20-24

v20 The *LORD spoke to me again. v21 ‘*Son of
man, look toward the city called Sidon and *prophesy against it. v22
“The *LORD the King says this: I am against you, Sidon. I will show my *glory
in you. I will punish Sidon. And then people will know that I am the *LORD. By
this punishment, I will show, in Sidon, that I am holy. v23 I will send
diseases to Sidon and blood will flow in its streets. Many people will fall
down dead in that city. People with swords will attack it from every side. Then
they will know that I am the *LORD.

v24 The *Israelites have cruel neighbours. They are
like sharp points. Such points cut into the skin and they make it sore and
painful. I will *destroy all of the neighbours who hate *Israel. And they will
know that I am the *LORD their King.” ’

Verses 20-24 Sidon was a city on the coast about 25 miles north
of Tyre. It was not as important as Tyre. God would punish Sidon as well as
Tyre. The people would die of disease and by the sword (that is, by war).

The ‘neighbours’ mean the nations that were near *Israel. Those
nations constantly caused trouble for the *Israelites. So, God said that they
were like sharp points. Such points cut into the skin and they are difficult to
remove. But God would deal with those nations.

All of these nations had been against *Israel. God will punish
all nations that hate *Israel. Then *Israel and the nations will know that the
*Lord is God.

The *Israelites will come back – Ezekiel 28:25-26

v25 ‘The *LORD your King says, I will gather the
*Israelites. I will bring them back from the nations where I scattered them. I
will show that I am holy among them. The nations will see this. The *Israelites
will live in their own country. I gave that country to my servant Jacob. v26
The people will live there in safety. They will build houses and they will
plant *vines. I will punish the nations who hate them. Then the *Israelites
will live in safety. And they will know that I am the *LORD their God.’

Verses 25-26 Ezekiel reminds the *exiles about the *Lord’s
promise. The *Lord had scattered the *Israelites among the nations. But the *Lord
will bring them back to their own country. The nations will see this happen.
They will know that the *Lord has done it. They will know that the *Lord is the
holy God. God gave the country to Jacob and it will belong to the *Jews again.
The *Lord will cause his people to live there in safety. Then they will know
that the *Lord is their God.

Punishment of Egypt – Ezekiel 29:1-32:32

·Ezekiel’s next *prophecy was against Egypt. Judah
trusted Egypt to provide protection against the *Babylonian army. But Egypt had
disappointed Judah. God would punish Egypt. But the punishment would not be
permanent. However, it would last for 40 years.

Chapter 29

*Prophecy against Egypt – Ezekiel 29:1-16

v1 It was the 12th day of the 10th month. This was in
the 10th year during our *exile. The *LORD spoke to me. v2 ‘*Son of man,
look toward the king of Egypt. *Prophesy against him and against all the nation
called Egypt. v3 Tell him this message: “This is what the *LORD the King
says to you. I am against you, king of Egypt. You are like a great *crocodile
that lies in the river. You say, ‘The River Nile is mine. I made it for
myself.’ v4 But I will catch you by your mouth as a man catches fish. I
will make the fish from your rivers stick to you. I will pull you up out of
your rivers and all your fish with you. v5 I will leave you in the
desert, you and all the fish from your rivers. You will fall onto the ground.
Nobody will pick you up or bury you. I have given you as food to the animals of
the earth and to the birds of the air.

v6 Then all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that
I am the *LORD. The *Israelites came to you, Egypt, for help. As they leaned
(depended) on you, you were like a weak stick. v7 They grasped you with
their hands. But you broke, and you tore open their shoulders. When they leaned
on you, you broke. As they did this, they damaged their backs.

v8 Therefore, the *LORD the King says to you. I will
cause an enemy to attack you. He will kill your people and he will kill their
animals. v9 The country called Egypt will become an empty desert. Then
they will know that I am the *LORD. You said, ‘The River Nile is mine. I made
it.’ Therefore, I will do this to you. v10 I am against you and I am
against your rivers. I will destroy the country called Egypt. I will make it an
empty desert. This desert will be from Migdol to Aswan and as far as Cush. v11
No person or animal will walk through it. Nobody will live there for 40 years. v12
I will ruin the country called Egypt so that it will be like a desert. It will
be worse than all the nations. I will ruin its cities for 40 years. I will
spread the *Egyptians among the nations. I will scatter them through the
countries.

v13 But the *LORD the King says this: After 40 years
I will bring back the *Egyptians. I will gather them from the nations where I
scattered them. v14 I will bring them back from their *exile. I will
cause them to return to southern Egypt. This is where they came from. They will
become a weak *kingdom there. v15 It will be the weakest of all
*kingdoms. It will never again be great among the nations. I will make it so
weak that it will never rule again over the nations. v16 The *Israelites
will never depend again on Egypt for help. The *Israelites will see Egypt’s
situation. And then the *Israelites will remember their *sin when they turned
to Egypt for help. Then they will know that I am the *LORD their King.” ’

Verses 1-5 The *Lord here spoke to Ezekiel in January 587 *BC.
This was before Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem in 586 *BC.

This *prophecy is against the king of Egypt and his nation. This
message is against King Hophra. He ruled from 588 *BC to 569 *BC. He was the
grandson of King Neco who had killed Josiah at Megiddo (2 Chronicles 35:20-27).
Zedekiah had asked Hophra for help against Babylon. At first, the *Egyptians
did come and the *Babylonians left Jerusalem. Then the army of Egypt returned
to their own country. When Nebuchadnezzar came again to Jerusalem, the
*Egyptians did not support Zedekiah.

The *Lord describes King Hophra as a large *crocodile. To the
*Egyptians, the *crocodile was the god Sebek. Hophra was a proud man. He felt
that he was strong. He thought that no god could defeat him. He imagined that
he owned the River Nile.

God would punish Hophra as men catch the *crocodile. Because he
was proud, God would pull Hophra from his position. With him would be his
‘fishes’. This meant the *Egyptian people. God would leave them as food for the
animals and the birds. This means that people would not even bury the dead
bodies. God would use Babylon to achieve his purposes against Egypt.

Verses 6-7 As a nation, the *Egyptians had neglected to help the
*Israelites. They had promised so much but they did not help. They were like a
stick that would break. They seemed to be strong. But when *Israel needed them,
they were too weak. God would punish them because of their failure to help his
people.

Verses 8-16 The *Lord would punish the king and all Egypt. The
*Babylonians would come. They would attack Egypt. They would kill people and
animals. And they would send many of the people into *exile in other countries.

At a place called Cyrene, Hophra lost the battle. We do not know
who the enemy was in this battle. His people took his crown from him. Then an
*Egyptian named Amasis murdered him in 569 *BC. Ahmose II became king of Egypt
in 568 *BC.

Because Hophra was so proud, the *Lord ruined all Egypt. Migdol
and Aswan were the northern and southern borders of Egypt. Cush was the ancient
Nubia, which is now in modern Ethiopia.

Egypt would be a desert where few people would live for 40 years.
Then, after that time, the people would return. The *Babylonians destroyed
Egypt in the year 586 *BC. At the end of the 40 years, the Persians (people
from Persia) overcame the *Babylonians. It seems that the Persians sent the
*Egyptians back to their country.

Never again would Egypt be a great nation. Egypt would become a
weak *kingdom. It would not rule other nations.

*Israel would learn that it must never depend on Egypt again for
help. They would remember their *sin. They had trusted Egypt instead of the
*Lord. But *Israel will know that the *Lord is God.

God rewards the king of Babylon – Ezekiel 29:17-21

v17 On the first day of the first month of the 27th
year during our *exile, the *LORD spoke to me. v18 ‘*Son of man,
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made his army fight hard against Tyre. They
struggled until they all had bald heads and sore shoulders. But he and his army
gained nothing from the fight with Tyre. v19 Therefore, the *LORD your
King says: I will give the country called Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon. He will ruin it and he will rob it. He will carry away all its wealth.
With this, he will pay wages to his army. v20 I have given him Egypt as
a reward. In what he has done, he worked hard for me. This is what the *LORD
your King says.

v21 At that time, I will make *Israel to become
strong again. You will speak to them. Then they will know that I am the *LORD.’

Verses 17-21 The *Lord gave this *prophecy to Ezekiel in April
571 *BC. So, it is not in date order. Usually, Ezekiel records his *prophecies
in the order of their dates.

It took 13 years for the *Babylonians to defeat Tyre. Tyre gave
in to the *Babylonians in about 573 *BC. By that time, not much wealth remained
in Tyre. There were few valuable things that the *Babylonians could take as a
reward for their efforts.

Egypt, under King Hophra, had become friends with Tyre. It could
be that Tyre was stronger because of help from Egypt. *Egyptian ships could
have taken away much of Tyre’s wealth.

Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, was God’s agent in the fight
against Tyre. So, God promised to give Egypt to him as his reward. He would get
more than enough wealth to pay his army.

The *Babylonians attacked Egypt in about 568 or 567 *BC. The king
of Egypt was then Ahmose II.

The *fall of Egypt would encourage the *exiles from *Israel. They
would see that these *prophecies were true. What God said, by Ezekiel, did
happen. The *prophecies of their return to their country would happen too. Then
they would know that the *Lord is God.

Chapter 30

The attack on Egypt – Ezekiel 30:1-19

v1 The *LORD spoke to me again. v2 ‘*Son of
man, *prophesy. Say: “This is what the *LORD your King says. Cry aloud. The
terrible day will come. v3 The day is near. The day of the *LORD is
near. It will be a day of clouds and a time of terror for the nations. v4
An enemy will attack Egypt. He will kill many people in Egypt. And he will take
away their wealth. He will tear down all their property. And the people in Cush
will tremble because of their fear.

v5 People from Cush, Put, Lydia, Arabia and Libya
will die in battle. And the sword will kill some of my people who had made an
agreement with Egypt. v6 This is what the *LORD says. Those people who
support Egypt will die. Egypt will lose the power of which it is proud. The
*LORD your King says that the sword will kill the people from Migdol to Aswan. v7
The war will ruin Egypt with the countries that the battles destroyed. Its
cities will be among the cities that the armies have ruined. v8 I will
burn Egypt. I will defeat all who help it. Then they will know that I am the
*LORD.

v9 On that day, I will send messages by ship to
frighten the people in Cush. They feel safe now. But they will tremble because
of their fear when I punish Egypt. That day will happen.

v10 This is what the *LORD your King says. There will
not still be a large number of people in Egypt. I will use the power of
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to defeat them. v11 He and his army will
come in to destroy the nation. They are more cruel than any other nation. With
their swords, they will attack Egypt. Dead bodies will be everywhere. v12
And I will make the rivers dry. And I will sell the country to evil men. I will
use foreign people to destroy the country. They will ruin everything in it. I,
the *LORD, have spoken.

v13 This is what the *LORD your King says. I will
destroy the false gods. I will remove the images of gods from the city called
Memphis. There will be nobody to rule in Egypt. And I will spread fear through
the nation. v14 I will destroy Pathros. I will burn Zoan and I will
punish Thebes. v15 I will act because of my anger against Pelusium, the
strong place of Egypt. I will destroy many of the people in Thebes. v16
I will burn Egypt with fire. Pelusium will be in great pain. I will break down
the walls of Thebes. Memphis will have constant troubles. v17 The young
men from Aven and Pibeseth shall die by the sword. And the rest of the people
will go into *exile. v18 The day will be dark in Tahpanhes when I end
the power of Egypt. There the proud strength of Egypt will end. A cloud will
cover Egypt, and the inhabitants of its villages will go into *exile. v19
So, I will punish Egypt. And they will know that I am the *LORD.” ’

Verses 1-5 The *Lord tells about a terrible day for the nations.
That day was near. It would happen soon. The phrase ‘the day of the *Lord’
often refers to the end times (that is, the last few years before Christ’s
return). Then there will be another time of terror for the nations. But here it
means the attack by the *Babylonians against Egypt.

The *Babylonians will kill many people and they will rob Egypt of
its wealth. They will destroy much of the property in Egypt.

The *Egyptians hired men from other countries to fight in their
army. Many of these men would die in the battle. There were people who had come
to Egypt from Judah. They had come to escape the trouble in their own country.
But they would not be safe. Many of them would die in Egypt.

Verses 6-19 Until this event, Egypt was a proud and strong
nation. Now the power of Egypt would end. The *Babylonians would kill many
people in the country called Egypt. They would start in the north and continue
to the south. They would destroy the cities in all of Egypt. News of the attack
would reach Cush (Ethiopia) by ship up the River Nile. The people in Cush felt
safe while Egypt was strong. But they would be afraid when the *Lord punished
Egypt.

The *Babylonians would kill many people in the country called
Egypt. They would start in the north and continue to the south.

The *Lord chose Nebuchadnezzar and his army to destroy Egypt. The
*Babylonians were a cruel nation. They would not pity the people.

Ezekiel mentions the main cities that the army would destroy. In
each city, the *Lord would remove the false gods. There would be nobody to lead
the *Egyptians. Fear would spread through the nation. Many of the people would
die. Of those people that did not die, many would go into *exile.

God will punish Egypt. They will know that God is the *Lord.

Nebuchadnezzar breaks the arms of the king of Egypt – Ezekiel 30:20-26

v20 The *LORD spoke to me on the 7th day of the first
month. This was in the 11th year during our *exile. v21 ‘*Son of man, I
have broken the powerful arm of the king of Egypt. Nobody will bind it up or
cure it. He will have no bandage on it. The arm will not be strong enough to
hold a sword. v22 Therefore, the *LORD your King says: I am against the
king of Egypt. I will break his arms, both the strong arm and the broken arm. I
will make his sword fall from his hand. v23 I will scatter the
*Egyptians among the nations. I will scatter them among the countries. v24
I will make the arms of the king of Babylon strong. I will put my sword in his
hand. But I will break the arms of the king of Egypt. When they meet in battle,
the king of Egypt will cry out in pain. He will cry out as one who dies. v25
So, I will make the arms of the king of Babylon strong. But the arms of the
king of Egypt will be weak. They will know that I am the *LORD. I will put my
sword into the king of Babylon’s hand. And he will stretch it out against the
nation called Egypt. v26 Then I will scatter the *Egyptians among the
nations. I will scatter them among the countries. And then they will know that
I am the *LORD.’

Verses 20-26 The *Lord spoke this to Ezekiel in April 587 *BC.
This was about 3 months before the *Babylonians broke down the walls of
Jerusalem.

In 588 *BC, King Hophra had tried to stop the *Babylonians so
that they could not attack Jerusalem. He did not succeed. His army lost the
battle and they went back to Egypt. This message from God came just a few
months later. Then Nebuchadnezzar came again to fight against Jerusalem.

The arm and a hand that held a sword were picture language. They
were a sign of the king of Egypt’s strength. Hophra had given himself a name
that meant ‘the strong arm’. Therefore, God said that he had broken the arm of
Hophra. The arm could not hold a sword. God had taken away his power. God made
him weak. Nobody would try to cure that arm. Hophra would remain weak.

But God would make the ‘arm’ of Nebuchadnezzar stronger. In other
words, he will become even more powerful. He will be the agent of God to
destroy Egypt. He will break both the arms of the king of Egypt. He will defeat
the army of Egypt. He will send the *Egyptians into *exile in other countries.
This happened in about 568 *BC.

Then they will know that the *Lord is God.

Chapter 31

As Assyria *fell so Egypt will *fall – Ezekiel 31:1-18

v1 The *LORD spoke to me in the 11th year during our
*exile. It was on the first day of the third month.

v2 ‘*Son of man, speak to the king of Egypt. And
speak to all his people. “Nobody is like you in your greatness. v3
Assyria was once like a great cedar (tree) in Lebanon with beautiful branches.
It gave shade to the forest. It was so tall that its top was among the highest
branches. v4 The water fed it. Clear water from deep in the ground made
it grow tall. Streams flowed at the bottom of the tree. The streams flowed to
all the other trees in the fields. v5 So, this tree was taller than all
the other trees in the country. It had many branches. They grew long and thick
because of the plentiful water. v6 All the birds of the sky made their
nests in the branches. And the animals of the field gave birth under its
branches. All the great nations lived in the shade of the tree. v7 So,
the tree was great and beautiful. It had long branches, because its roots
reached down to much water. v8 The cedar trees in God’s garden were not
as great as this tree. The fir trees and the plane trees did not have such
large branches. No tree in God’s garden was as beautiful as this tree. v9
I made it beautiful with many branches. All the trees in Eden, in God’s garden,
were jealous of it.

v10 Therefore, this is what the *LORD your King says.
The tree grew tall. Its top reached the clouds. Because it was so tall, it
became proud. v11 So, I handed it over to the strong ruler of the
nations. He punished it, as it deserved. Because it was evil, I threw it out. v12
Foreigners from the most terrible of the nations have cut it down. They left it
where it fell. The branches fell on the mountains and in all the valleys. Its
broken branches were by all the rivers in the country. And the people from all
the nations in the earth went away from its shade. And they left it. v13
The birds of the sky live on the tree that has fallen. The wild animals live
among the branches that fell from the tree. v14 So, the trees that grow
by the water will not be proud of their height. They will not lift their tops
among the clouds. None of the trees that have much water will grow that tall.
All of them will die and they will end below the ground. They will be with
people who have died. These trees have gone down to the place of dead people.

v15 This is what the *LORD your King says. The tree
went down, as a dead man goes to his grave. On the day that the tree died, I
covered the deep sources of water. Because of the tree, they became like people
who are sad after a death. I held back the rivers, and the waters did not flow.
I caused Lebanon to be in darkness to show that it was sad about the great
tree. All the trees in the field dried up because of that great tree. v16
The tree fell with a loud noise when I brought it down to the place of dead
people. The nations heard the sound of it. I made them tremble because of their
fear. Like a dead man, the tree went to join those who are in the grave. Then
all the trees that were in that place below the earth were content. These trees
were the trees from Eden and the best trees from Lebanon. They were all the
trees that used to have plenty of water. v17 The people from the nations
that supported the tree died with it. They had lived in its shade. But they
died and they went to the place of dead people. They joined those people who
died by the sword.

v18 No tree in Eden is equal to you, Egypt, in
greatness and honour. But you will die. I will bring you down with the trees
from Eden to the earth below. You will lie among people who are not holy. You
will lie with those people whom the sword killed. This is about the king of
Egypt and all his people, says the *LORD your King.” ’

Verses 1-9 The *Lord spoke this to Ezekiel in June 587 *BC. It is
a message to the king and to the *Egyptians. This part, from verses 2 to 9, is
in the form of a poem.

Egypt was great and it was so proud of its importance. Assyria
had been great once. It had been proud too. But it did not still exist. The
*Babylonians defeated Assyria in 612 *BC. And Egypt’s power would end in the
same manner. The *Babylonians would destroy the power of Egypt.

The poem describes Assyria as a tree. The cedar of Lebanon is a
tall and beautiful tree. This tree was the best one in the forest. Assyria was
perhaps the most powerful nation that the world had known until that time.

Verses 10-14 Assyria became too proud of its power. Because of
this, God gave it to the ‘ruler of the nations’. He was the king of the nation
that was most cruel. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon destroyed Assyria. He
defeated Assyria completely. He acted like a man who cuts down a tall tree. And
that tree meant Assyria.

What happened to Assyria was to warn the nations. God hates proud
persons and proud nations. In the end, all the great nations in the world
become proud. God will destroy them all (Daniel 2:44).

Verses 15-17 The *Lord had brought down the great tree, which
meant Assyria. It fell with a loud noise and all the nations heard it. All of
them felt the effect when Assyria fell. They all trembled because of fear. Many
were sad because of the end of such a great nation. The army of Babylon then
destroyed many of the nations that had been friendly with Assyria.

Verse 18 Egypt was also a proud country. And, like Assyria, God
compares Egypt to a great tree. It was at that time like the best trees in the
Garden called Eden. (See Genesis 2:8-9.) But because Egypt was proud, God would
destroy it. God will cut down that tree as he had cut down all the previous
great trees. In other words, God would destroy Egypt as he had destroyed great
nations like Assyria in the past.

This was a clear message that the *Lord would kill the king of
Egypt. And he would punish the *Egyptians. God destroyed Assyria, which was
greater than Egypt. So, Egypt could not avoid its punishment, because God would
destroy Egypt as well.

Chapter 32

A funeral song for Egypt – Ezekiel 32:1-16

v1 God spoke to me in the 12th year during our
*exile. It was the first day of the 12th month. v2 ‘*Son of man,
sing a funeral song about the king of Egypt. Say this to him. “You are like a
young lion among the nations. You are like a giant animal that lives in the
seas. You splash about in your streams. You stir up the water with your feet
and you make the rivers muddy.

v3 This is what the *LORD your King says to you. I
will spread my net over you. With a large group of people, I will pull you up
in my net. v4 Then I will throw you on the land. I will drop you on the
ground. I will bring all the birds in the air to come onto you. And all the
animals on the earth will eat you until they are full. v5 I will scatter
your body on the mountains. And I will fill the valleys with whatever remains
of you. v6 I will water the ground with your blood, which will flow as
far as the mountains. And the streams will be full of you. v7 When I *destroy
you, I will cover the sky. The stars will be dark. A cloud will cover the sun.
And the moon shall not give its light. v8 All the lights that shine in
the sky will become dark over you. I will bring darkness over your country,
says the *LORD your King. v9 I will take you *Egyptians as *exiles into
other nations. You will go into countries that you have not known. By this, I
will cause many people to be afraid. v10 I will cause many people to
know about you. It will be a great shock to them. Their kings will tremble with
fear because of you. They will be afraid when I swing my sword in front of
them. They will tremble all the time on the day that you *fall. They will be
afraid for their own lives.

v11 This is what the *LORD your King says. The sword of
the king of Babylon will attack you. v12 By the swords of powerful men,
I will make your people *fall. These men are from the most terrible nation in
the world. They will *destroy Egypt and all its people. The *Egyptians will die
because they are proud. v13 I will kill all the animals in Egypt that
live by the rivers. Then the foot of a man will not stir the water, and the
feet of animals will not make it muddy. v14 So, I will make the waters
clear. And I will make the rivers to flow like oil. I, the *LORD your King have
spoken. v15 I will make the country called Egypt empty. And I will
remove everything from the country. I will *destroy all who live there. Then
they will know that I am the *LORD.”

v16 People will sing this funeral song for Egypt. The
women from the nations will sing it. Because of Egypt and all its people, they
will sing it, declares the *LORD your King.’

Verses 1-2 The *Lord gave this song to Ezekiel in March 585 *BC.
A couple of months earlier, Ezekiel heard that the *Babylonians had destroyed
Jerusalem (Ezekiel 33:21).

The king of Egypt was like a young lion. He was proud of his
strength but he was not strong enough. Or, he was like a *crocodile in streams
of shallow water. His efforts stirred up the mud but they achieved nothing.

Verses 3-10 The *Lord will catch the king of Egypt like a
*crocodile in a large net. The dead *crocodile will be food for the birds. Wild
animals will come and they will eat its meat. So, the armies of Babylon would
kill the king and his people through all Egypt. And they would not even bother
to bury the dead bodies. Egypt’s punishment would be awful.

The *Lord will cover the sun. Its light will not shine. The moon
and the stars will not give their light. These verses are about the religion of
the *Egyptians. The sun god was the main god of the *Egyptians. They
*worshipped the sun, the moon and the stars. Their gods did not have the power
to save the nation. The gods that they served are no gods. The *Lord is the one
real God.

Many of the people will go into *exile as God sends them to other
countries. People in other nations will see what happened to Egypt. The *Lord
will destroy that great nation. Fear will grip the nations. That is, the people
in those nations will feel the greatest terror. Even Egypt could not avoid its
punishment from the *Lord.

Verses 11-16 The king of Babylon will be God’s agent to destroy
Egypt. Babylon was more cruel than any other nation. The armies of Babylon will
kill the king of Egypt, his people and their animals. They will punish Egypt
because it was proud.

In the end, the muddy waters will be clear. The River Nile and
the rivers will return to their normal state. There will be a future for Egypt.
Egypt’s punishment was not permanent. It would last for 40 years (Ezekiel
29:12).

It was the custom for the women to sing the funeral songs. So,
the women from different nations will sing for the *Egyptians.

Egypt and the nations in the place of dead people – Ezekiel 32:17-32

v17 The *LORD spoke to me in the 12th year. It was
the 15th day in the month. v18 ‘*Son of man, weep for the *Egyptians.
Send them down with the women of great nations to the earth below. They will
join those people who go down to the place of dead people. v19 Say to
them, “You are no better than other people. In death, you will lie with those
people who do not belong to God.” v20 The *Egyptians will *fall among
those who died in war. The sword of the enemy will kill them. And he will drag
Egypt and all its people away. v21 Strong leaders will speak from hell
about Egypt and about those people who help it. “They have come down to us. The
sword has killed them. They lie with those people who do not belong to God.”

v22 Assyria, and all its army, lie dead there. Its
graves are round about it. All its soldiers are dead. They died in battle. v23
Their graves are in the deepest parts of the place of dead people. The armies
of Assyria lie about its grave. They have all died by the sword. When they
lived on the earth, they caused terror among the people.

v24 The nation called Elam is there; and all its army
is about its grave. All of them died by the sword in battle. They had caused
terror to the people on the earth. But the people from Elam do not belong to
God. In their shame, they have gone down to the place of dead people. v25
Elam has a bed (grave) with all those people who died in war. The graves of all
its soldiers surround it. All of them died by the sword and they do not belong
to God. They frightened people when they lived on the earth. Now they must
suffer their shame with those people who have gone down to the place of dead
people. Their graves are with the rest of those people who died in battle.

v26 Meshech and Tubal are there; and the graves of
all their soldiers are about them. They caused terror in the world when they
were alive. They all died by the sword and they do not belong to God. v27
They do not lie with other foreign soldiers who died in battle. Those soldiers
went down to the grave in honour. They had their swords under their heads. The
boards that protected them in battle covered their bodies. They were a terror
to people when they lived on the earth.

v28 So, you, king of Egypt, will die among
foreigners. You will lie with those people who died by the sword.

v29 Also Edom is there, with its kings and all its
leaders. They were strong, but now they are dead. They lie with those people
who died in war. They go down to the grave with those people who do not belong
to God.

v30 All the rulers of the north and all the people
from Sidon are there. They have gone down in shame with those people who died
in war. By their strength, they caused terror to the people. They lie with
those people who do not belong to God. They lie with those people who died by
the sword. With them, they go down to the grave in shame.

v31 When the king of Egypt sees them, he will comfort
himself because of all his people. The sword will kill the king of Egypt and
all his army, declares the *LORD your King. v32 I made people afraid of
the king of Egypt while he lived on the earth. But he and all his people will
lie among those people who died by the sword. They will lie with those people
who do not belong to God. This is what the *LORD your King says.’

Verses 17-32 Two weeks later, in March 585 *BC, the *Lord spoke
to Ezekiel. He told Ezekiel to weep for the *Egyptians. The *Lord must punish
people because of their *sins. However, he is sad that he must do it. (See 2
Peter 3:9.) Those people who refuse to *turn to him will suffer because of their
*sins.

When we die that is not the end. We will exist beyond the grave.
There is the place of the dead; or there is life with God.

The *Egyptians who died would go to the place of the dead. All
those people who do not belong to God will go there.

In that place of the dead, there will be many of the great
nations. They had caused terror while they were on the earth.

The king of Egypt will see the nations in the place of the dead.
He will have some comfort. He will not suffer alone in that awful place. People
had been afraid of him when he was alive. But God will send the *Babylonians to
kill him and his people. And they will go down to the place of the dead.

Chapter 33:1-20

Ezekiel warns the *exiles from Judah– Ezekiel 33:1-20

·This passage is teaching basic principles. It is
important not to misunderstand its message:

(1) In order to have a right relationship with God, a person must
obey God. A wicked person must start to obey God. And a good person must
continue to obey God.

(2) The *Lord is good. He always does what is right and fair. And
he always wants people to do what is right and fair too.

(3) This passage does not teach that people can achieve a right
relationship with God by their own efforts. Nobody can please God by means of
good works or human effort. But the passage does teach that people must change
their attitudes in order to please God. That is what it means to *repent. A
person must be sincere and humble in order to *repent. And then that person’s
behaviour will start to change. The person will start to do those things that
please God.

(4) The passage does not teach that people can easily lose their
relationship with God. Even in the *Old Testament, God did everything possible
to bring people back to himself. See, for example, David’s experience in 2
Samuel chapter 12. As Ezekiel 32:11 says, God does not even want to punish a
wicked person. And he cares very much about his own people who have a
relationship with him. In the *New Testament, real Christians have the benefit
of what Jesus achieved by his death. Our relationship with God is not something
weak. God established it. So, we can be confident about what he has done.

(5) The passage teaches that God’s message is very important.
People who receive God’s message have an important responsibility. They must
not neglect it. Jesus taught that too (Luke 19:11-27). See also James 3:1.

v1 The *LORD spoke to me. v2 ‘*Son of man, say
this to the people from your own country. Tell them: “Suppose that I (the
*LORD) bring a war against a nation. The people in the country may choose a man
to watch for danger. v3 If he sees the enemy, he will blow on the
*trumpet. So, he will warn the people about the attack. v4 When the
people hear the *trumpet, they must prepare for the fight. If they do not get
ready, the enemy will kill them. They will be responsible for their own deaths.
v5 They heard the sound of the *trumpet but they did not prepare for the
fight. So, they will be to blame for their own deaths. If they had done
something, they could have saved their own lives. v6 The man saw the
enemy come to attack. If he did not blow on his *trumpet, he would not warn the
people. Then if the enemy kills someone, that person will die because of his
own *sins. But I will punish the man who did not warn them.”

v7 *Son of man, you are the man who must watch on
behalf of the *Israelites. You must hear what I say. Then you must warn the
*Israelites. v8 Suppose that I say this to wicked people: “Because you
are wicked, you will die.” You must warn those people. You must warn them to
stop doing evil things. If you do not warn them, they will die because of their
*sins. But I will punish you because of their deaths. v9 But if you
warned them, you would save your own life. If they do not change, they will die
because of their *sins.

v10 *Son of man, speak to the *Israelites. This is
what they are saying: “We have not obeyed the law. And our *sins hurt us. We
die because of them. What can we do so that we will live?” v11 I, the
*LORD your King who lives, declare this to them. I do not want any of the
wicked people to die. I want them to stop doing evil things. Then they will
live. Stop! *Turn from your wicked ways! *Israelites, if you change, you will
not die.

v12 Therefore, *son of man, say this to the people
from your own country. Say this to the good person: “You do what is right. But
your goodness will not save you if you *sin.” Say this to the wicked person: “I
will not punish you because of your evil deeds if you *turn from your wicked
ways.” If good people *sin, I will not allow them to live because of their
former goodness. v13 I could tell the good people, “You will live.” But
they might think that they have done enough good deeds. If then they *sin, I
will not remember their good deeds. They will die because of the bad things
that they have done. v14 I might say to the wicked people, “You will
die.” But they may *turn from their evil ways. And they may start to do good
deeds. v15 They could give back what they had received as a promise to
pay a loan. They could give back what they had taken. They could obey the laws
that give life. They could *turn and they could do no evil deeds. If they do
these things, they will live. They will not die. v16 I will not remember
against them the *sins that they had done. They now do what is right and good.
So, they will live.

v17 But your people say, “The way of the *Lord is not
fair.” But their way is not fair. v18 Suppose that good people *turn
from their good deeds. Then they do evil things. They will die because of the
evil things that they do. v19 Suppose that wicked people stop doing bad
deeds. Then they do what is right and fair. They will live because of the good
deeds that they do. v20 You still say, “The way of the *Lord is not
fair.” *Israelites, I will be your judge. You will get what your deeds
deserve.’

Verses 1-6 The *Lord gave Ezekiel this story to tell to the
*exiles.

During a war, a city had to be ready to defend itself. It was the
custom to appoint a person to watch. This guard would stand on the wall of the
city and he would carry a *trumpet. When he saw the enemy, he would blow his
*trumpet. Then the people would prepare to fight.

If the people did not get ready, they would die. It would be
their fault. And they would be to blame. The guard who had warned them would
not be guilty.

If the guard had not warned them, they would not be ready. They
would die because they were not ready. But the guard would be to blame. He
would be guilty because he had not warned them.

In this story, the *Lord punishes the people because of their
*sin. They could have *repented and God would have saved them. But the *Lord
will punish the guard if he had not warned them.

Verses 7-9 God had called Ezekiel to warn his people. He was like
the guard on the wall. His task was to tell the people that God would punish
them because of their *sin. What he heard from God, he must tell to the people.
Those people who did not *repent and change would die. But if Ezekiel obeyed
God, he (Ezekiel) would live. If Ezekiel neglected to warn them, God would
punish him (Ezekiel). Ezekiel would be responsible for their deaths.

Verses 10-11 The *Lord asked Ezekiel to warn his people again.
They knew why they suffered. They had neglected to obey God’s law. And because
of their *sin, they would die. Now they recognised that their *sin was the
problem. *Sin always leads to death (Romans 6:23).

The *Lord does not want anyone to die (2 Peter 3:9). He does not
want them to go to the place of dead people (see my note on Ezekiel 32:17-32).
He tells them to *repent of their *sins. They must stop doing evil things. And
they must *turn to the *Lord. If the people refuse to change, they will die.
But if they change, they will live.

Verses 12-16 The good person must not depend on his goodness. If
a good person changes to be a wicked person, he will die because of his *sins.
His good deeds of the past will not save him. He must take care to do what is
right. He must depend on the *Lord for his life.

A wicked person may *repent of his *sins. And then he may do what
is right. If so, the *Lord will forgive his *sins. That person will not die
because of past *sins. When possible, that person must undo the wrong things
that he has done. And he must not continue to *sin. He must do what is right.
Then, as he depends on the *Lord, he will live.

Verses 17-20 A good person who then *sins would die. This did not
seem fair to the *exiles. They thought that the good deeds of the past would
save that person. But what is important is the current state of that person.
The *Lord is a just and fair judge. So, people will get what they deserve.

Part Three – Ezekiel 33:21-39:29

God will bring *Israel back to their Country

The country that God promised to them – Ezekiel 33:21-33

·At last, Ezekiel received the terrible news that the
*Babylonians had destroyed Jerusalem. But even after that event, the
*Israelites were still not ready to *turn to God. Whether they were in *Israel
or in *exile, the people only really cared about themselves.

Chapter 33:21-33

News about the defeat of Jerusalem – Ezekiel 33:21-22

v21 In the 12th year during our *exile, a man escaped
from Jerusalem. It was the 5th day of the 10th month when he came to me. And he
said, ‘The enemy has destroyed the city.’ v22 On the evening before the
man came, I felt the *LORD’s power upon me. I had been dumb but the *LORD
opened my mouth. So, by the morning when the man came, I could speak again.

Verses 21-22 In January 585 *BC, a man who had escaped from
Jerusalem came to Ezekiel. He brought the news that the *Babylonians had
destroyed Jerusalem. It had taken this man about 6 months to bring the news. It
was a long way to travel on foot. And he had to come into the country of the
enemy. It would have been a particularly difficult journey.

For some years, Ezekiel had not been able to speak except as the
*Lord told him (Ezekiel 3:25-27). Now he was able to speak freely. The *Lord
had made him dumb but now the *Lord had freed him. The *Lord told Ezekiel that
this would happen in Ezekiel 24:26-27.

*Prophecy against those still in the country – Ezekiel 33:23-29

v23 Then the *LORD spoke to me. v24 ‘*Son of
man, the enemy has destroyed the nation called *Israel. But there are people
who still live there. This is what they say: “Abraham was just one man, and the
*LORD gave this whole country to him. There are many of us, and so this country
must be ours.” v25 Say to them, “The *LORD your King says this to you.
You eat meat with the blood still in it. You ask your false gods to help you.
And you kill people. Because of this, you should not possess the country. v26
You depend on your sword. You do terrible things, which I hate. You have sex
with your neighbour’s wife. So, you should not have the country.”

v27 Tell them, “The *LORD your King says this to you.
I am the God who lives. Those people who live in the *ruined cities shall die
by the sword. The wild animals will eat those people who live in the country.
And those people who live in the strong buildings or in caves shall die from diseases.
v28 I will make the country into an empty desert. The people were proud
of the nation’s power but that power will end. *Israel’s mountains will be so
wild that nobody will travel through them. v29 The people have done such
bad things. I hate what they have done. Therefore, I will make the country into
an empty desert. And then they will know that I am the *LORD.” ’

Verse 23-29 God had promised to Abraham the country that became
*Israel (Genesis 13:14-15). The people who were still in the country were from
the family of Abraham. Therefore, they said that the country belonged to them.
But they did not understand God’s promise to Abraham. To have the country they
must obey the agreement with Moses. Ezekiel then shows some of the evil things
that they did. The law of Moses forbids each of these things. Therefore, the
people could not claim the country.

·They ate meat with the blood still in it (see Leviticus
17:10-14).

·They *worshipped foreign gods (see Exodus 20:1-6)

·They killed people (see Exodus 20:13).

·They had sex with other men’s wives (see Exodus 20:14).

The people who remained in the country would not live. They would
die by the sword, by wild animals or by disease. Their proud attitudes would
end. God would empty the country. It would become like a desert.

Then people will know that God is the *Lord.

The *exiles do not obey – Ezekiel 33:30-33

v30 ‘But as for you, *son of man, the people from
your nation talk about you. They talk together by the walls and at the doors of
their houses. They say to each other, “Come. Let us hear what the *LORD says.” v31
My people come to you, as usually they do. They sit in front of you and they
listen to your words. But they do not do what you tell them. With their mouths,
they tell me that they love me. But their hearts’ desire is for their own
profits. v32 To them you are like a singer of love songs. You are like a
man with a beautiful voice who plays an instrument well. The people hear your
words, but they will not obey them.

v33 All that you have told them will happen. Then
they will know that a *prophet has been among them.’

Verses 30-33 The *exiles talked about Ezekiel. They discussed the
strange things that he did. They spoke about what Ezekiel had said. They seemed
eager to hear the word of the *Lord. They came to Ezekiel to listen to him.
They heard what Ezekiel said. But they did not obey what the *Lord said by
Ezekiel. They said that they loved the *Lord. But they did not love him. They
cared too much about their own wealth, possessions and money.

They liked to listen to Ezekiel. It seemed to amuse them. But
they would not believe what he said. All this will change. Ezekiel was not just
speaking his own ideas. His messages were from the *Lord. So, the things that
Ezekiel spoke about will definitely happen. Then they will know that Ezekiel
was a *prophet from the *Lord.

True and false leaders – Ezekiel 34:1-31

·The *Lord gave Ezekiel this message about the situation
of the people from *Israel. It is in the form of a story about *shepherds and
sheep. The *shepherds mean the rulers of *Israel. The sheep mean the people
from *Israel. Some of the sheep are fat and greedy. They mean the proud people
who have been cruel to weaker people. But God will act on behalf of those
weaker people. He is like a good *shepherd who looks after his sheep well.

Chapter 34

The false *shepherds of *Israel – Ezekiel 34:1-10

v1 The *LORD spoke to me again. v2 ‘*Son of
man, *prophesy against the leaders of *Israel. They lead the *Israelites as
*shepherds lead sheep. Say to those leaders, “The *LORD your King says this to
you. It will be terrible for you. You have fed yourselves. But *shepherds
should feed the sheep. v3 You drink the milk. You wear the clothes that
you make from the wool. You kill and you eat the best sheep. But you do not
feed the sheep. v4 You have not made the weak sheep strong. You have not
made the sick sheep well. You have not put bandages on the sheep that had
injuries. You have not brought back the sheep that wandered away. You did not
try to find them. But you have ruled the sheep with cruel force. v5 The
sheep scattered because they had no *shepherd. There was nobody to look after
them. They became food for all the wild animals. v6 My sheep wandered
over all the mountains and high hills. They scattered all over the earth. And
nobody searched for them or tried to find them.

v7 Therefore, you *shepherds, listen to the *LORD’s
message. v8 I am the God who lives. I, the *LORD your King say this to
you. Wild animals have caught and they have eaten my sheep. This happened
because nobody was looking after the sheep. The *shepherds should have searched
for them but they did not search. They fed themselves and they did not care
about my sheep. v9 Therefore, you *shepherds, listen to the *LORD’s
message. v10 This is what the *LORD your King says. I am against the
*shepherds who should have led my sheep. I will blame them because of what has
happened to my sheep. I will not let them lead my sheep. So, those *shepherds
will not feed themselves again. I will save my sheep from them. My sheep will
not be food for them.” ’

Verses 1-6 A *shepherd is a person who looks after sheep. It was
common to say that a ruler is like a *shepherd. The ruler was called the
‘*shepherd’ of the people in his nation.

The *Lord talks to the leaders of *Israel. They should have
looked after the people as a good *shepherd looks after the sheep. They were
responsible to the *Lord for his people. They were responsible to the people to
lead them in the right manner. But in fact, they were like bad *shepherds
because they did not look after the people. All that they cared about was their
own profit.

From sheep, we get milk to drink and we get cheese to eat. They
grow wool, which we use to make clothes. And sheep provide us with meat to eat.
But we have to feed them and we should look after them properly.

The rulers of *Israel were cruel. They took all that they wanted
for themselves. They were no help to the people. They did not defend the weak
people. They did not care about sick people. They killed the best sheep. The
best sheep mean the people who could have been good leaders. But the rulers
killed such people because the rulers did not want anyone to oppose them. They
killed the strong ones and they did not take care of the weaker ones. So, they
were to blame because of the deaths of many people.

Like sheep that have wandered away, the people had *turned away
from God. The leaders ought to have encouraged them to stay loyal to God. But
the leaders themselves were not loyal to God. They wanted the people to neglect
God’s laws. So, these leaders persuaded the people to *turn away from God. The
people were responsible for their own *sins, but the leaders were responsible
for the wicked state of the nation. They must take the blame for the *exile
from Judah.

The *Lord would remove those leaders. He would punish them
because they were to blame for the *sin of the people.

Verses 7-10 The *Lord spoke again to the leaders with the same
message. The *Babylonians had killed many of the people. They had sent many
more to other countries. This happened because the leaders neglected their
duty. They did not care about the people over whom they ruled. They were like
*shepherds who did not try to find missing sheep. These leaders only wanted to
increase their own wealth. Nothing else mattered to them.

The *Lord was against these leaders. They were to blame because
of the state of God’s people. The *Lord would punish them because of their
wicked attitudes. He would remove all these leaders. He would rescue his people
from the rule of such leaders. By means of the *exile, the *Lord would preserve
his people.

The *Lord will be the *shepherd – Ezekiel 34:11-16

v11 ‘ “This is what the *LORD your King says: I
myself will search for my sheep. And I will look after them. v12 A
*shepherd looks for his sheep. And when he has found them, he looks after them.
So, I will take care of my sheep. I will save them from all the places where
they have gone. They scattered on a cloudy and dark day. v13 I will
bring them out from the nations. I will gather them from the countries. I will bring
them to their own country. I will feed them on the mountains of *Israel and by
the streams. I will feed them in all the places where people live in the
country. v14 I will lead them to the best fields. They will feed on the
high parts of *Israel’s mountains. There they will lie down in fields of grass.
And they will eat good food on the mountains of *Israel. v15 I will feed
my sheep. I will lead them to rest, says the *LORD your King. v16 I will
search for the sheep that have wandered away. I will bring back those sheep
that went away. I will put bandages on the sheep that have injuries. I will
make the weak sheep strong. But I will *destroy the fat and the strong sheep. I
will take care of my sheep fairly.” ’

Verses 11-16 The rulers of the people in Judah did not care about
them. So, the *Lord will remove those leaders and he will take their place. The
*Lord says that he will take care of his people in *exile. He declares that he
will bring them back to the country called *Israel. *Israel is their own
country because the *Lord gave it to them. The *Lord will make *Israel a strong
nation again. The land will produce good crops for the people to eat. That
which was desert will become good fields. The people will farm the land and
they will keep their animals.

The *Lord will *destroy those bad rulers of the people. He will
rule the people and he will be fair in all his decisions.

The *Lord is the judge of the sheep – Ezekiel 34:17-22

v17 ‘ “This is what I will do for you, my sheep,”
says the *LORD your King, “I will decide what is right between one sheep and
another sheep. I will decide what is right between male sheep and goats. v18
It should be enough for you to eat grass in the good land. You should not press
down the rest of the grass with your feet. It should be enough for you to drink
clear water. You should not make the rest of the water muddy with your feet. v19
My sheep should not have to eat the grass that you have pressed down. They
should not have to drink water that you have made muddy with your feet.

v20 So, the *LORD your King says to them: I will
decide what is right between the fat sheep and the thin sheep. v21 You
push with your side and with your shoulder. You knock down all the weak sheep
with the *horns on your head. You have forced them to go away. v22
Therefore, I will save my sheep. I will never let anybody hurt them again. I
will decide what is right between one sheep and another sheep.” ’

Verses 17-22 Those people who were rich or strong used their
situation to make themselves more wealthy. They did not care about other
people. They were cruel to the weak people and to the poor people. Those rich
people were behaving like strong sheep that make the grass flat. The other
sheep have to eat the flat grass. Or, the rich people were like strong sheep
that arrive at the water first. They drink all that they want. They make the
water muddy so that other sheep cannot drink clean water.

The *Lord will be the judge of his people. He will do what is
right. He will punish those people who were cruel. He will give to the poor
people and to the weak people what they need.

The good *shepherd – Ezekiel 34:23-31

v23 ‘ “I will put one *shepherd in command of them
all. David my servant will feed them. He will take care of them and he will be
their *shepherd. v24 Then I, the *LORD, will be their God. My servant
David will be a ruler among them. I, the *LORD, have spoken.

v25 I will make an agreement of peace with my sheep.
I will remove the wild animals from the land. The sheep will live in the desert
and they will sleep in the forests in safety. v26 I will be kind to
them. And I will be kind to the places that surround my hill. I will send the
rain in its proper season. The rain will be showers that will show my kindness
to them. v27 The trees in the fields will yield their fruit. The ground
will yield its harvest. My sheep will be safe in their country. I will break
the chains that bound them. I will free them from those who made them slaves.
Then they will know that I am the *LORD. v28 The nations will never rob
them again and wild animals will not eat them. They will live in safety, and
nobody will make them afraid. v29 I will give to them a place that is
famous because of its good crops. They will never be hungry in the country.
They will not suffer any insults from the nations. v30 They will know
that I, the *LORD their God, am with them. The nation called *Israel will know
that they are my people. The *LORD your King declares that this is so. v31
You people are my sheep. You are the sheep of my fields. I am your God, says
the *LORD your King.” ’

Verses 23-24 The *Lord will send a good *shepherd (ruler) for his
people. This good *shepherd will take care of them. Here he is called David.
David was the second king of Israel. He had been a *shepherd and he looked
after his sheep. He became a good king and he was called the ‘shepherd of
Israel’. The *Messiah, whom God would send, would be from the family of David.
The *Lord used the name David to refer to the *Messiah. The *Messiah will be
the ruler of God’s people.

Verses 25-31 The *Lord will make an agreement with *Israel. It
will be an agreement of peace for the country called *Israel. God will send the
foreign nations out of that country. The wild animals in the text mean these
nations. Then there will be peace for the nation called *Israel.

With the rains in their proper seasons, the land will be good for
the farms. It had been dry because the rains had failed. But God will cause it
to be the good land that it used to be. The people will produce plenty of
crops. The harvests will never fail. The people will always have food to eat.
They will never be hungry.

The *Lord will free his people from the nations. He will bring
them back to their country. They will be safe in the country called *Israel.
The nations will not attack them.

God’s people will *turn back to him. They will know the *Lord
their God. The *Lord calls them his ‘sheep’ and he will be their ‘*shepherd’.
In other words, the *Lord will look after his people as a *shepherd looks after
sheep.

We have not yet seen this agreement of peace come into effect. It
must happen when Jesus, the *Messiah, returns. Then the *Jews will believe him
and they will know God. They will know the benefit of God’s new agreement with
people (Jeremiah 31:31-34). And they will know the good things that God gives
to them by means of this agreement.

Preparing the country – Ezekiel 35:1-36:15

·This passage contains two messages from the *Lord. The
first message is to the nation called Edom, which was one of the worst enemies
of *Israel. The second message is to *Israel. The two messages have an unusual
form. The *Lord tells Ezekiel to *prophesy as if Ezekiel is speaking to the
mountains. Ezekiel must speak to the mountains on behalf of their nations. So,
the first message is to *Mount Seir, on behalf of Edom. And the second message
is to the many mountains in *Israel, on behalf of *Israel. In the messages, the
*Lord explains his future plans for each nation. He will be kind to *Israel,
but he will destroy Edom.

Chapter 35

The *Lord will destroy Edom – Ezekiel 35:1-15

v1 The *LORD spoke to me. v2 ‘*Son of man,
look toward *Mount Seir and *prophesy against it. v3 Say to it, “This is
what the *LORD your King says. I am against you, *Mount Seir. I will stretch
out my hand against you. And I will make you into an empty desert. v4 I
will destroy your cities, and you will become empty. Then you will know that I
am the *LORD.

v5 You have always been an enemy of *Israel. You gave
the *Israelites to those who attacked them. When their final punishment came,
you handed them over to die by the sword. v6 I am the God who lives. So
I, the *LORD your King, say this to you. I will give you to those who will kill
you. They will chase you. Since you have not hated blood, death will pursue
you. v7 I will make *Mount Seir into an empty desert. I will kill all
who go into it. And I will kill all who come out of it. v8 I will fill
its mountains with the bodies of those people who die in the battle. Those
people who die in the war will *fall on your hills. They will *fall in your
valleys. And they will *fall in all your streams. v9 I will make you
into a desert. Nobody will ever live in your cities. Then you will know that I
am the *LORD.

v10 You said, ‘These two nations and these two
countries will be ours. We will take them to be our own countries.’ But the
*LORD was there. v11 So, this is what the *LORD your King says. I am the
God who lives. I will deal with you as you did with the *Israelites. You were
angry. And you were jealous because you hated them. So, I will punish you. I
will show them who I am. v12 Then you will know that I am the *LORD. And
I have heard all your insults against the mountains of *Israel. You said, ‘They
are empty. They are ready for us to take them as our own country.’ v13
Because you are proud, you have spoken much against me. I have heard you. v14
This is what the *LORD your King says. When I destroy your country, the whole
earth will be happy. v15 You were happy because of what happened to the
*Israelites. But I will do the same thing to you. *Mount Seir and all Edom, I
will ruin you and you will be empty. Then you will know that I am the *LORD.” ’

Verses 1-4 Here *Mount Seir means the country that was called
Edom. That country was to the east of the Dead Sea. It went down to the Gulf
called Aqaba. The main cities were called Petra and Teman.

Perhaps Edom hated *Israel more than all the other nations. Edom
came from the family of Esau. And *Israel came from the family of Esau’s
brother, Jacob. There had been problems between them from the start. They hated
each other. Esau *turned away from God. Edom had done as much damage to *Israel
as it could.

God will punish Edom. He will destroy its cities. Then they will
know that the God of *Israel is the *Lord.

Verses 5-9 Through their history, Edom had helped those who
attacked *Israel. The *Edomites joined with Babylon in the fight against Judah.
They were glad because of the defeat of Jerusalem. They killed many of the
*Jews. So, God would cause the *Edomites’ enemies to kill them.

These things will happen. Then people will know that the God of
*Israel is the *Lord.

Verses 10-15 The *Edomites wanted to own the land that belonged
to Judah and *Israel. They had spoken against the *Lord. They did not recognise
that the God of *Israel is the *Lord of all. They did not realise that the
*Lord was with his people. So, the *Edomites could never possess the country
called *Israel.

As the *Edomites had done to the *Jews, so the *Lord would do to
the *Edomites.

Chapter 36

The *Lord encourages *Israel – Ezekiel 36:1-15

v1 ‘*Son of man, *prophesy to the mountains of *Israel.
Say, “Mountains of *Israel, hear the word of the *LORD. v2 This is what
the *LORD your King says. The enemy said about you, ‘We now possess the old
high places. They are ours.’ ” v3 So *prophesy, “The *LORD your King
says this. Your enemies have ruined you and they have made you empty like a
desert. They came from all directions. You became the possession of the rest of
the nations. People talked and they whispered against you. v4 So,
mountains of *Israel, hear what the *LORD your King says. The *LORD your King
speaks to the mountains, hills, streams, and valleys. He speaks to the places
that the enemy has ruined. He speaks to the empty cities. The nations robbed
them and laughed at them. v5 Therefore, this is what the *LORD your King
says. I speak in my fierce anger against the other nations. I speak against the
people in Edom, who took my country for themselves. They did it with joy and
they did it with hate in their hearts for my people. They forced out the people
and they took their country.” v6 So, *prophesy about the country called
*Israel. Speak to the mountains, hills, streams and valleys. “The *LORD your
King says this: You have suffered the insults of the nations. That is why I
have spoken in my fierce anger. v7 So, this is what the *LORD your King
says. I raise my hand and I make this promise to you. As you have suffered
insults, so the nations about you will suffer.

v8 But you, mountains of *Israel, your trees will
grow branches. They will yield fruit for my people, *Israel, who will soon come
home. v9 I care about you and I will be with you. My people will dig
your soil and they will plant crops. v10 I will increase the number of
people who live in the country. All the *Israelites will come to you. They will
build the cities that the enemy ruined. They will live in the places that are
now empty. v11 I will cause many more people and animals to live in you.
They will increase and they will have many young ones. People will live in you
as they did before. And I will make things better for you than at the
beginning. Then you will know that I am the *LORD. v12 I will cause my
people *Israel to walk on you. They will own you, and you will belong to them.
You will never again take their children from them.

v13 The *LORD your King says that people accuse you,
the mountains. They say, ‘It is as if you eat people. You take children from
your nation.’ v14 But you will not still eat people or take away the
children. This is what the *LORD your King declares. v15 From now on, I
will not let you hear the insults from the nations. In the future, you will not
suffer the shame of the people. You will not cause your nation to *fall again,
says the *LORD your King.” ’

Verses 1-7 The mountains of *Israel represent the country and the
*Israelites. In other words, the mountains appear in this passage on behalf of
the country and the *Israelites. The enemy was Edom. More than the other
nations, they had hated *Israel. But they were not the only ones. The rest of
the nations were also in the country. These nations were the *Ammonites, the
*Moabites and the *Philistines.

These foreigners ruled the country. And they said that they now
owned it. They had removed the *Israelites. And the land was like a desert. The
nations round about spoke evil words about the nation called *Israel.

The *Lord loved this country. He had given it to the *Israelites.
The country will be theirs for all time. So, God was very angry against the
nations. He was angry with the *Edomites who took the country for themselves.
He was angry because they had forced his people out of the country. The
*Edomites were happy when the *Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem. God was angry
because Edom hated *Israel. The *Lord promised to punish Edom and the rest of
the nations. As they had dealt with *Israel, so the *Lord would deal with them.

Verses 8-12 The country called *Israel was empty like a desert.
But God’s people will return to the country. When they come, the land will
produce food for them. They will plant crops and they will have good harvests.
The trees will grow and they will have good fruit. All of this will be better
than it was before the *exile.

The *Lord loves his people and he loves the country called
*Israel. He will bring the *Israelites back to their country. They will build
the cities again. They will own the country and it will belong to them. The
nation called *Israel will increase and they will be strong again.

Then they will know that God is their *Lord.

When the *exiles came back some of this did happen. But at a
future time, God promises to bring his people back to *Israel. The *Jews are
now returning to *Israel. Israel became a nation again in 1948 *AD. Many of
these things are happening now.

Verses 13-15 Through all their history, people have hated the
*Jews. All over the world, the *Jews have suffered insults. People have been
cruel to them and some of those enemies even killed them. When the *Lord
completes his plan to bring his people home to *Israel, all this will stop. At
that future time, they will no longer suffer shame.

*Israel returns to the country – Ezekiel 36:16-37:28

·When the *Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem, *Israel’s
future seemed hopeless. The *Israelites who were still alive went to live in
many different countries. It seemed as if *Israel would never be a nation
again. But God told Ezekiel that he still had plans for *Israel. And God’s
plans are wonderful. They are very much better than anything that has happened
in the past. God has already started to carry out some of these things. But
most of them are still in the future.

The *Lord will bring the *exiles back to the country called *Israel –
Ezekiel 36:16-38

v16 The *LORD spoke to me again. v17 ‘*Son of
man, when the *Israelites lived in their own country, they spoiled it. They did
not live good lives and they did bad things. As the blood of a woman at her
time of the month, so their ways were not *clean. v18 So, I *poured out
my anger against them. They murdered in the country and they spoiled the
country by their false gods. v19 So, I scattered them among the nations.
I sent them to foreign countries. I punished them because of how they lived. I
punished them because of their wicked deeds. v20 They insulted my holy
name in the nations where they went. The people in those nations said about
them, “They are the people of the *LORD. But they had to leave the country that
he gave to them.” v21 My holy name is important to me and I care about
it. The *Israelites have insulted my name in the nations where they went.

v22 So, speak to the *Israelites. “The *LORD your
King says this: I will act. What I will do is not for your benefit,
*Israelites. But I will act for the benefit of my holy name. You insulted my
name in the nations where you went. v23 I will show them that my great
name is holy. You insulted my name in the nations where you went. But I will
use you to prove myself holy among them, says the *LORD your King. Then the
nations will know that I am the *LORD.

v24 I will take you out of the nations. I will gather
you out of all the countries. I will bring you back into your own country. v25
Then I will wash you with clean water. You will be *clean. I will remove all
your *sins and I will remove your false gods. v26 I will give a new
heart to you and I will put a new spirit in you. I will remove the hearts that
seem as hard as stone. I will give to you new hearts that will obey me. v27
I will put my Spirit in you. Then you will want to do what I tell you. You will
be eager to obey my rules. v28 You will live in the country that I gave
to your *ancestors. You will be my people, and I will be your God. v29 I
will save you from your *sins. I will order the grain to grow. I will make it
plentiful. I will not let you suffer hunger. v30 I will increase the
fruit on the trees and the crops in the fields. You will never feel shame again
among the nations because of the lack of food. v31 Then you will
remember your evil behaviour and your wicked deeds. And you will hate
yourselves because of all these wicked and disgusting things. v32 What I
am doing is not for you. I want you to know this, says the *LORD your King.
*Israelites, you should be ashamed because of the disgusting things that you
have done.

v33 This is what the *LORD your King says. This will
happen on the day when I remove your *sins from you. I will cause people to
live in the cities again. They will build again the places that the enemy
ruined. v34 They will cultivate the land that was empty. Then it will
not be empty for everyone who passes by to see. v35 They will say, ‘This
country was empty. Now it has become like the garden called Eden. The cities
were empty, as their enemies had ruined them. Now the people have rebuilt them
with strong defences. They live in the cities that were empty.’ v36
Those nations that are still about you will see this. And they will know that
I, the *LORD, have done this. I have built what the enemy destroyed. I have
planted the land that was empty. I, the *LORD, have spoken, and I will do it.”

v37 The *LORD your King says this: I will hear the
requests of the *Israelites. I will act for them again. As a *shepherd looks
after his sheep, I will make my people increase in number. v38 They will
be as many as the sheep that people brought to Jerusalem during its holy weeks.
A large number of people will live in the empty cities. Then they will know
that I am the *LORD.’

Verses 16-21 The *Israelites had spoiled their country. They had
not done what the *Lord told them to do. They were guilty of many crimes. And
they even killed people.

In the country that God gave to them, they *worshipped false
gods. They *turned away from the *Lord their God. He was angry with his people
and he punished them. He sent the *Babylonians to destroy the cities. The
*Babylonians killed most of the people. And the *Lord sent those people who
were still alive out of the country.

The purpose of the *exile was so that the people would learn to
obey God. But to the nations, the *exile seemed to prove that God was weak.
They supposed that the God of *Israel could not protect his people. This was
wrong. In fact, God brought about this punishment because of the *sins of the
*Israelites. So, their wicked behaviour caused the people from other nations to
have wrong ideas about God’s character. This was a terrible insult to God.
God’s holy name describes his perfect character (see Exodus 34:5-7). When the
*Israelites insulted his holy name by their wicked behaviour, they offended God
greatly. His name is very important to him.

Verses 22-23 In those days, the name meant the person. So, the
insult was against the person of the *Lord God. By their wicked behaviour, the
*Israelites caused the impression that God was weak. God could not allow such a
terrible insult to his name, that is, his person, to continue. So, God would
bring his people back to their country. But he would not do this just for their
benefit. The main reason was to show that he is God. The nations will see that
he has not failed. They will understand that he is holy. And they will know
that he is the *Lord God. He is not just the local god of *Israel. He alone is
God and he is the *Lord of all.

The *Lord does not show his kindness because people deserve it.
We can never earn any reward from God. All that we deserve is death. God will
be kind to his people because he loves them.

Verses 24-32 The *Lord will bring the *Israelites from the
nations. He will bring them into the country that he gave to them. The country
called *Israel belongs to the *Israelites. The *Lord did bring the families of
the *exiles back to the country. But this promise was about the future. *Israel
has become a nation again. The *Jews are returning to their country.

When the return of the *Jews is complete, God will make them
*clean. He will forgive their *sins. He will remove all the false gods. The
*Jews will serve the *Lord God. They will be God’s people and he will be their
God.

The *Lord will change their *stubborn hearts and he will give to
them new hearts. The gift of a new heart means a new birth (John 3:3). Those
whom God forgives become as new persons. The *Lord will send his Holy Spirit to
make them new. The Holy Spirit will live in the hearts of God’s people. Then
they will serve their God. They will obey the *Lord.

The *Jews will live in the country called *Israel. God gave this
country to their *ancestors. He will cause the crops in the fields to increase.
The trees will have more fruit. The *Israelites will have plenty of food. God
will make *Israel into a successful nation.

The *Israelites will remember their past. They will be ashamed of
all the evil things that they did. They will appreciate the love of God.

Verses 33-38 God will bring the *Israelites back to their
country. Then he will deal with their *sin. The people will build the cities
again. They will farm the land. They will plant trees and crops. They will keep
animals. The land will be like the garden called Eden because it produces so
much food (Genesis 2:8-9).

When this happens, the nations will see it. Then they will know
that this is the work of the *Lord God. He has saved his people. He has made
their land into good land again. The *Lord has said that he will do this. And
the *Lord will do all that he has said.

There was a time when the *Lord would not listen to the people
(Ezekiel 20:3). But when they return to him, then he will hear them. He will
answer their prayers. He will take care of them as a *shepherd takes care of
his sheep. His people will increase in number. That is, they will have large
families. And they will all gather to *worship God in Jerusalem, as the
*Israelites did in the past.

Then all the people will know that God is the *Lord.

Chapter 37

The valley of dry bones – Ezekiel 37:1-14

v1 I felt the power of the *LORD. He brought me out
by the Spirit of the *LORD. He put me down in the middle of a valley. The
valley was full of bones. v2 He led me about the valley, among the
bones. I saw that there were very many bones in the valley. And the bones were
very dry. v3 The *LORD asked me, ‘*Son of man, can these bones live?’ I
answered, ‘*LORD my King, only you know.’

v4 The *LORD said to me, ‘*Prophesy to these bones.
Say to them, “Dry bones, hear the word of the *LORD! v5 The *LORD your
King says to you bones: I will cause breath to enter you. And you will live. v6
I will put muscles on you and I will give you new bodies. I will cover you with
skin. Then I will put breath in you so that you will become alive. Then you
will know that I am the *LORD.” ’

v7 So, I *prophesied as the *LORD had told me. As I
*prophesied, there was a noise. The sound was of bones that shook. The bones
came together, bone to bone. v8 I looked and I saw muscles come on the
bones. Bodies grew and skin covered the bones. But there was no breath in them.

v9 Then the *LORD said to me, ‘*Prophesy to the wind.
*Prophesy *son of man, and speak to the wind. “The *LORD your King says: Come
from the 4 winds! Breath, come and breathe on these dead people. And they will
live again.” ’ v10 So, I *prophesied as the *LORD had told me. And the
breath came into them. They became alive and they stood on their feet. They
became a very large army.

v11 Then the *LORD said to me, ‘*Son of man, these
bones mean all the *Israelites. They say, “We have become like dry bones. We
have no hope and we have no future.” v12 So, *prophesy and speak to
them. “The *LORD your King says this to you, my people: I will open your
graves. I will cause you to come up out of your graves. Then I will bring you,
my people, into the country called *Israel. v13 Then, my people, you
will know that I am the *LORD. You will know this when I open your graves. I
will bring you up from your graves. v14 I will put my Spirit in you and
you will live. Then I will put you in your own country. You will know that I,
the *LORD, have spoken. You will know that I have done it. This is what the
*LORD your King says to you.” ’

Verses 1-3 Ezekiel records what he saw in a *vision. God gave him
this *vision about the future of *Israel. In the *vision, the Spirit of the
*Lord brought Ezekiel to a large valley. The Spirit took Ezekiel to see what
was in the valley. He saw that the valley was full of bones. The bones were
very dry. These people had been dead for a long time.

The situation of these bones was hopeless. They were dead and
dry. These dead people could do nothing.

Only God’s power could make them alive again.

Verses 4-6 The *Lord told Ezekiel to speak to the bones. So,
Ezekiel spoke the powerful words of God to them. These bones will live again.
God will cause them to breathe. He will put the breath of life into the dead
people. He will cover the bones with new and complete bodies. The people will
become alive again. And they will know that God is the *Lord.

Verses 7-8 Ezekiel spoke the word of God to the bones. As he
spoke, there was a strange noise. The bones shook. They began to move. Then
bones joined to bones. They joined in the correct order. The bones formed the
proper structures for the bodies. Then the *Lord covered the bones with
muscles. He made the bodies complete with skin. But they were still dead.

In this *vision, the dead bodies mean the *Jews (verse 11). They
will return to the country called *Israel. This is starting to happen even
before they believe in Jesus as their *Messiah.

Verses 9-10 The 4 winds mean the 4 directions, that is, north,
south, east and west. In other words, the whole world. The *Jews will return to
the country called *Israel from all countries.

Wind, breath and spirit are all one word in the *Hebrew language.
So, the *Lord told the wind, breath or spirit to blow on these dead bodies. It
came into them and they became alive. These people stood up. They were a very
large army.

God’s power had turned the dry bones into a powerful army. These
people were dead to God. In other words, they had no relationship whatever with
God. But God has made them alive. And they have become a strong army for him.

Verses 11-14 The bones in this *vision mean the whole nation that
is called *Israel. The *Israelites include the families from both parts of the
divided nation, called *Israel and Judah. God tells Ezekiel about their sad
state:

·They said that they were like dry bones. It was as if
they had been dead for a long time. They had lost the life (relationship) that
they had with God. In other words, they were dead in their spirits.

·They said that they had no hope. There is no hope for
people who have *turned away from God. *Israel had refused to obey God. They
could not expect anything from God. *Israel could not hope to become a nation
again. Only God can give real hope to people who are in a hopeless situation.

·They said that they had no future. In God alone is
there life after death.

The *Israelites could do nothing to improve their terrible
situation. And everyone who does not have a real relationship with God is in a
similar situation. Such people have no life in their spirits. They are in a
hopeless state, and they do not have a worthwhile future. They can do nothing
to rescue themselves. They should trust completely in God. Only God can make
people alive. Only God can give real hope and a worthwhile future to people.
And that is what he promised to do for the *Israelites in this *vision.

The *vision then changed. In the first part of the *vision, the
bones had scattered across a large valley. Here the bones are in graves. God
will open the graves. The nation that seemed dead will become alive again. God
will bring his people back to their country. *Israel will be a nation again.
This is what has happened now. The *Jews are returning to the nation called
*Israel.

The *Lord will cause *Israel to know him. The *Lord will send his
Holy Spirit on *Israel. The *Israelites will become alive to God. In other
words, they will have a real and active relationship with him. We have not seen
this happen yet.

One king and one nation in *Israel – Ezekiel 37:15-28

v15 The *LORD spoke to me again. v16 ‘*Son of
man, take a stick and write on it. Write, “For Judah and the *Israelites with
him.” Then take another stick and write on it. Write, “For Joseph, the stick of
Ephraim and the *Israelites with him.” v17 Join the two sticks to make
one stick. So, they will be one in your hand.

v18 The people from your country will come to you
with this request: “Explain to us what you mean by this.” v19 Then tell
them, “The *LORD your King says this to you. I will take the stick for Joseph
and the *Israelites with him. This stick is in the hand of Ephraim. And I will
put this stick with the stick for Judah. I will make them into one stick. The
two sticks will be one in my hand.” v20 Hold in your hand the two sticks
on which you wrote. Let the people see them. v21 Say to the people, “The
*LORD your King says this to you. I will take the *Israelites from the nations where
they have gone. I will gather them from all directions and I will bring them
into their own country. v22 I will make them one nation in the country,
on the mountains of *Israel. There will be one king over all of them. They will
never be two nations again. They will not be two *kingdoms.

v23 They will not *sin and make themselves *unclean
with their false gods. They will not have those images of gods that I hate.
They will *turn from their *sins. I will save them from their *sin when they
*turned against me. I will wash (free) them from *sin and I will make them
*clean. They will be my people, and I will be their God.

v24 My servant David will be their king. They will
all have one *shepherd (ruler). They will live by my rules and they will obey
my laws. v25 They will live on the land that I gave to my servant Jacob.
Your *ancestors lived in that country. They will live there, their children and
their grandchildren until the end of time. And David my servant will be their
ruler always. v26 I will make an agreement of peace with them and it
will never end. I will put them in their country and I will make them increase
in number. Then I will put my *temple among them and it will be there for all
time. v27 I will live with them in that place. I will be their God, and
they will be my people. v28 I will place my permanent *temple there
among them. Then the nations will know that I, the *LORD, have chosen *Israel
to be my own people.” ’

Verses 15-17 When the *Lord brings his people back to the
country, they shall be one nation. They had been two nations. The southern
nation, called Judah, ruled two of the *tribes of *Israel. The other 10 *tribes
lived in the northern nation, usually called *Israel. Joseph was the *ancestor
of the *tribe of Ephraim. But sometimes in the Bible, Ephraim means the 10
*tribes. After they return, the 12 *tribes will all be in the one nation called
*Israel.

Verses 18-23 The *exiles asked Ezekiel what the sticks meant. He
told them what the *Lord would do. The *Lord will take the two sticks in his
hand. There he will make them to be one stick. The two sticks meant the two
nations. The one stick meant the new, united country that the *Lord would
establish.

The *Lord promised to bring the *Israelites from all the nations.
He will bring them to the country called *Israel. There he will make them into
one nation called *Israel. In our day, there is now that nation called *Israel.
The *Jews are returning to their country.

There will be one king. He will rule over the one nation called
*Israel. The king has not come yet. The people will *turn from their *sins.
They will not *worship false gods. They will *turn again to the *Lord their
God. They will be his people and he will be their God.

Verses 24-28 The king who will come is the *Messiah. Here he is
called David. David is his *ancestor. The *Messiah is sometimes called ‘King
David’s greater son’. Originally, David was a *shepherd who took good care of
his sheep. When David became king of *Israel, he had the same attitude toward
his people. He took good care of them. The *Messiah will be like a good
*shepherd. He will take good care of his people. We know the *Messiah as Jesus
Christ (see John 10:11).

The *Israelites will obey God’s laws. They will live in their
country. Nobody will hurt them. They will be safe from any attacks. They will
have children and grandchildren until the end of time. The *Lord will build his
*temple again. And it will stand until the end of time. God will live among his
people.

The nations will know that the *Israelites are God’s special
people. God chose *Israel to be his own people.

In the end, the *Lord will destroy this earth. And he will make a
new earth. But the rule of Jesus the *Messiah will never end. (See 2 Peter
3:5-13; Revelation 21:1; Isaiah 65:17; Hebrews 1:10-12.) And the special
relationship that God has with his people will never end. This is true about
all God’s people, whether they are *Israelites or not. (See Revelation 21:3-4;
Revelation 22:2-5.)

Defeat of the armies that attack the country – Ezekiel 38:1-39:29

·This passage describes the final defeat of *Israel’s
enemies. Of course, this event has not happened yet. My opinion is that this
battle is still a long time in the future. First, God will establish the
*Israelites in their country, and they will *turn back to God (Ezekiel chapter
37). I believe that there will then be the 1000 year period in Revelation 20:6.
During that period, Jesus the *Messiah will rule in Jerusalem. In Ezekiel
chapters 40 to 48, God showed a new *temple to Ezekiel. My opinion is that this
*temple will be in Jerusalem during those 1000 years. After those 1000 years,
the devil will persuade a great army to attack Jerusalem. Revelation 20:7-9
describes that battle and, like Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39, it mentions Gog and
Magog. At that battle, God will complete the defeat of all his enemies. Then
God will establish a new heaven and a new earth. These will be places of
perfect peace, and God will always live with his people (Revelation chapter
21).

The *prophecy against Gog – Ezekiel 38:1-23

Chapter 38

v1 The *LORD spoke to me. v2 ‘*Son of man,
look toward Gog, from the country called Magog. He is the chief ruler of the
nations called Meshech and Tubal. *Prophesy against him. v3 “The *LORD
your King says this: I am against you, Gog, chief ruler of Meshech and Tubal. v4
I will turn you about. I will catch you as a man catches a fish by the mouth.
And I will bring you out with all your army. I will bring all your horses and
riders who have dressed themselves ready for war. They will be a large army.
They will have large and small *shields and all of them will wave their swords.
v5 The armies of Persia, Cush, and Put will be with them. They will all
have *shields and clothes for war. v6 There will also be armies from the
nations called Gomer and Togarmah. These armies will come from the far north
with all their soldiers. Many nations will support you.

v7 Get ready. Prepare for battle, you and all the
armies that have come to you. You will be their leader. v8 After a long
time I will call for you to come. In the last years, you will attack the
country. It is a country that has recovered from war. I brought its people from
many nations to live on the mountains of *Israel. Nobody had lived there for a
long time. I brought these people out of the nations, and now all of them live
in safety. v9 You will come like a storm. You will come with all your
armies and the many nations that are with you. You will be like a cloud that
covers the country.

v10 The *LORD your King says this: At that time,
ideas will come into your mind. And you will think up an evil plan. v11
You will say, ‘I will march against a country that has towns without walls. I
will attack a peaceful nation. I will attack people who live in safety. They
live in towns without walls, gates or locks. v12 I will rob them and I
will take away their wealth. I will turn my power against the places where
people now live. Those places were empty until they left many nations to gather
there. And now they are rich with farm animals and property. And they live in
the most splendid place in the world.’ v13 People from Sheba, Dedan, and
the merchants of Tarshish, with all its villages, will speak to you. They will
say, ‘You have come in order to make yourselves wealthy. You have brought your
great armies to rob and to steal. You have brought them to carry away silver
and gold. You have come to take away farm animals and goods, and to take many
valuable things.’ ”

v14 So *prophesy, *son of man, and say this to Gog.
“The *LORD your King says this: On that day, my people called *Israel will live
in safety. And you will know about it. v15 You will come from your place
in the far north. Many nations will support you. You will have a large army
with horses and riders. v16 You will attack my people called *Israel.
You will be like a cloud that covers the country. You will do this at a future
time when I bring you against my nation. Then the nations will know me. I will
use you, Gog, to show them that I am holy.

v17 The *LORD your King says this: I spoke about you
in past days. I spoke by my servants, the *prophets of *Israel. For many years,
they *prophesied that I would bring you against them. v18 This is what
will happen. Gog will attack the country called *Israel. On that day, I will
become very angry, says the *LORD your King. v19 I declare what I will
do in that day. Because of my fierce anger, I will send a great *earthquake on
the country called *Israel. v20 The fish in the sea and the birds in the
air will be afraid of me. The animals in the fields and all things that move
along the ground will shake with fear of me. All the people on the earth will
tremble with fear because of me. The *earthquake will throw the mountains down.
The cliffs will fall, and every wall will fall to the ground. v21 Then I
will declare war against Gog. The soldiers will fight on all my mountains, says
the *LORD your King. Each man will fight against the man who is next to him. v22
I will punish Gog with disease and death. I will send heavy rain and ice,
together with fire and *sulphur. This will pour down on him and on his army.
Also, this will pour down on the many nations that are on his side. v23
So, I will show how great and holy I am. All the nations that watch will see
this. Then they will know that I am the *LORD.” ’

Verses 1-3 Gog is the ruler of the nation called Magog. Also, he
rules over the countries called Meshech and Tubal. Magog, Meshech and Tubal
were sons of Japheth (Genesis 10:2). Their families became *tribes round and to
the north of the seas called the Black and Caspian Seas.

Verses 4-6 The *Lord will gather Gog and Magog for a final
battle. Probably, this will happen after Jesus has ruled on earth for 1000
years (Revelation 20:8). It seems that this *prophecy is for that time.

Gog and his army will be ready for war. They will have a plan.
But the *Lord will change that plan. He will turn them from their plan to his
plan. The *Lord will force them to go in a way that they do not want to go.

Gog’s army will be a large army. It will be the armies of Magog, Meshech
and Tubal. Also, the armies of other nations will join with them. These armies
will be from Persia, Cush, Put, Gomer and Togarmah.

We cannot be certain where all these countries are. Persia is to
the east of *Israel and it includes Iran. Cush could be from the area of
Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan. Put is in North Africa and is perhaps Libya. Gomer
became the people who lived along the Danube and the Rhine rivers in Europe.
Togarmah became the Armenians (people from Armenia) who lived in the region east
of Turkey. Gomer and Togarmah will come from the far north of *Israel.

Verses 7-9 This great army will attack *Israel. The *Lord calls
them to be ready. Gog is their leader.

The attack will not happen for a long time. It will be in the
last years. The last years will be after the time of great trouble. That time
could be before the 1000 years in Revelation chapter 20. But the attack seems
to be after the 1000 years. (Revelation 20:8-9)

At that time, *Israel will be a nation again. The *Jews will be
back in their country. There will be peace in the country called *Israel. The
people will live in safety. At the end of this period of peace, the armies will
attack *Israel. They will come suddenly, like a storm over the country.

Verses 10-13 At that time, Gog will make plans to attack *Israel.
The *Israelites will be at peace. They will not expect an attack. In the past,
all towns had walls for defence. They had gates and they had locks. But then
none of the towns of *Israel will have good defences.

Gog intended to come and take away all the wealth of *Israel. At
that time, *Israel will be one of the richest nations in the world.

Other nations such as Sheba and Dedan will be afraid. With the
merchants of Tarshish, they will speak to Gog. Perhaps they want to know if he
will attack them also. Perhaps they will support him. Or perhaps they hope to
trade with him.

Verses 14-16 Gog will think that it is his own idea to attack
*Israel. But the plan will come to him from the *Lord. The *Lord will bring him
from the north. So, Gog will come. He will have a vast army. They will be like
a great cloud that covers the country.

The *Lord’s purpose will be to protect his people. He will defeat
Gog. The nations will see it. Then they will know that the *Lord God is holy.
He is the *Lord and they will know him.

This attack will be at a future time. The future time in
*prophecy means the events just before the end of the world. The attack will be
after the *Jews have come back to *Israel. *Israel will be a wealthy and
powerful nation.

Verses 17-23 Before Ezekiel, no *prophets had written about Gog
by name. But there were many *prophecies about the events just before the end
of the world.

Gog will attack *Israel. But the *Lord will be very angry. And he
will oppose Gog. The *Lord will defend his people. He will kill Gog. And he
will destroy the vast army that comes with Gog.

The *Lord will send a great *earthquake in the country called
*Israel. The effect of this will be terrible. Mountains and cliffs will fall
down. The force will destroy all the buildings. Animals, birds and even fish
will tremble at this action by the *Lord.

There will be terror in the armies that support Gog. There will
be confusion among them. Each man will fight against the next man. And they
will kill each other.

The *Lord will send diseases on them and many will die of
disease. He will send strange weather upon them. There will be storms. There
will be ice. There will be fire with *sulphur, which will fall from the sky.

The *Lord will kill Gog. The *Lord will destroy all the armies
that come with Gog.

All the nations will know that the *Lord God did this. They will
know that the *Lord God saved his people. They will know that he is the *Lord.
He is great and he is holy.

Chapter 39

How the *Lord will punish Gog – Ezekiel 39:1-10

v1 ‘*Son of man, *prophesy against Gog. “The *LORD
the King says this: I am against you, Gog, chief ruler of Meshech and Tubal. v2
I will turn you about and I will lead you. I will bring you from the far north.
I will send you to attack the mountains of *Israel. v3 There I will
knock your bow out of your left hand. I will make your arrows drop from your
right hand. v4 You will fall dead on the mountains of *Israel. So will
all your army and the nations that are with you. I will give you as food for
every bird that eats meat. The wild animals will eat your dead bodies. v5
You will all fall down dead in the open field. I, the *LORD the King, have
spoken. v6 I will send a fire on Magog. Also, I will send fire on those
people who live in safety along the coasts. And they will know that I am the
*LORD.

v7 I will cause my people called *Israel to know me.
I will not allow them to insult my holy name again. Then the nations will know
that I am the *LORD, the holy God of *Israel. v8 That day is coming and
it will happen. This is what the *LORD your King declares. I have spoken about
that day and it will happen.

v9 Then those people who live in the cities of
*Israel will come out. They will light fires. The *weapons of the enemy will be
their fuel. They will burn both small and large *shields. They will burn bows
and arrows. And they will burn military sticks and *spears. For 7 years, they
will use them for fuel. v10 They will not need to gather wood from the
fields. They will not chop wood from the forests for their fires. They will
have enough *weapons to use as fuel. And the *Israelites will take wealth from
those people who stole from them. The *Israelites will rob those people who
robbed them. So says the *LORD your King.” ’

Verses 1-8 The *Lord tells again how he will kill Gog and his
armies. The *Lord will cause Gog to come from the far north. Gog will try to
attack *Israel. But the *Israelites will not need to defend themselves. Without
the help of men, the *Lord will fight against Gog. Gog will be like a soldier
with no bow and no arrows. Such a soldier cannot fight. He cannot shoot at his
enemies. So, Gog and his armies will not be able to fight against the *Lord.

The *Lord will strike Gog and his armies in the country called
*Israel. The phrase ‘mountains of *Israel’ means the country called *Israel.
The *Lord will kill Gog and he will *destroy all who are with him. Their dead
bodies will lie in the fields. There will be a vast number of dead bodies. So,
there will be no time to bury them. They will lie all over the mountains and
fields. There the birds and wild animals will eat them.

The *Lord will send a fire on Magog and on the coasts. This means
that he will *destroy *Israel’s enemies. This includes those enemies who have
not come to the battle in *Israel.

Those people who are against *Israel are enemies of the *Lord
God. The *Lord will defeat them. Then all nations will know that he is the
*Lord of all people.

The *Israelites will know that the *Lord is the only God. All the
nations will know that he is the God of *Israel. They will know that the *Lord
is holy. And all that he says is true. He will do what he says. These things
will happen.

Verses 9-10 There will be a vast number of *weapons where the
soldiers *fell. The people will come from the cities to collect them. They will
burn all these *weapons. But there will be so many *weapons that it will take 7
years to burn them. The people will need no other fuel for their fires.

Gog and his armies intended to rob *Israel of its wealth.
Instead, the *Israelites will take all that Gog’s armies had brought with them.

The task to clear the dead bodies from the country called *Israel – Ezekiel
39:11-20

v11 ‘ “At that time, I will give a place in *Israel
to Gog, as his grave. It will be in the valley where people travel east
toward the Sea. There the people will bury Gog. And there they will
bury all who followed him. This will close that route. Nobody will be able to
go that way. So, the name of that valley will be Hamon-Gog.

v12 It will take the *Israelites 7 months to bury all
the bodies. Then the country will be *clean again. v13 All the people in
the country will bury the bodies. This will be to their honour on the day that
I show my *glory. The *LORD your King declares that this will be so.

v14 The *Israelites will employ men to work through
the country. These men will make the country *clean again. They will bury the
dead bodies that remain on the ground. At the end of the 7 months, they will
continue to search. v15 As they go through the country, they will look
for human bones. When they find one, they will mark the place. Those people who
dig the graves will then bury the bones in the valley called Hamon-Gog. v16
The name of the city near there will be Hamonah. So, they will make the country
*clean again.”

v17 *Son of man, the *LORD your King says this: Speak
to all kinds of birds and all the wild animals. “Come together, all of you!
Come from all the country round about. Come to the *sacrifice that I will
prepare for you. It will be a great *sacrifice on the mountains of *Israel.
There you will eat bodies and you will drink blood. v18 You will eat the
bodies of powerful people. You will drink the blood of the rulers of the earth.
They will be to you as if they were fat animals from Bashan. They will be like
male sheep, young sheep, goats, and *bulls. v19 At the *sacrifice, which
I will prepare, you will eat. You will eat fat until you are full. You will
drink blood until you are like drunks. v20 You will eat as guests at my
table. You will eat until you are full. You will eat horses and riders. You
will eat great men and all kinds of soldiers,” says the *LORD your King.’

Verses 11-16 Gog’s armies will be very large. So, there will be a
real problem. The *Israelites will have to bury all those dead bodies. The
*Lord told them where to bury the bodies. The graves will be in the valley
where people travel east toward the Sea. The ‘Sea’ probably means the Dead
Sea. There will be so many graves in the valley that it will no longer be a
route to the sea. They will give the valley a new name. They will call it
Hamon-Gog, which means ‘Gog’s vast crowd.’

It will take more than 7 months to bury all the bodies. Even
after that time, men will search the country. Where they find human bones, they
will mark the place. Other men will collect the bones and they will bury them
in the valley.

They will call the city near the valley Hamonah, which means
‘vast crowd.’

Verses 17-20 The men will search for bones after the great meal
of the birds and animals. The *Lord will kill the great armies on the mountains
of *Israel. He will invite the birds and the animals to come and to eat. They
will eat the bodies and drink the blood. All that will remain of the armies
will be the bones.

The description here is similar to the one in Revelation
19:17-21. That event seems to be at the end of the time of the great trouble.
It seems to be before the rule of the *Messiah on the earth. But it could be
after the 1000 years of the rule of the *Messiah (Revelation 20:8-9).

The main purpose of God – Ezekiel 39:21-29

v21 ‘I will show my *glory among the nations. All the
nations will see my power when I punish them. v22 From that day the
*Israelites will know that I am the *LORD their God. v23 And the nations
will know that the *Israelites went into *exile because of their *sin. Because
they were not loyal to me, I turned away from them. I gave them into the power
of their enemies and they died in war. v24 Because they were not *clean
and because of their *sins, I punished them. I turned away from them.

v25 The *LORD your King says this: Now I will bring
Jacob’s people back from *exile. I will pity all the *Israelites. And I will
protect my holy name. v26 The people will live in safety in their
country. Nobody will make them afraid. Then they will forget their awful shame.
They will forget the evil things that they did against me. v27 I will
bring the people back from other countries. I will rescue them from the
countries of their enemies. So, by my people, I will show many nations that I
am holy. v28 Then my people will know that I am the *LORD their God. I
sent them into *exile among the nations. But then I brought them all back to
their own country. I did not leave any of them in *exile. v29 I will not
hide myself from them. I will pour out my Spirit on the *Israelites. That is
what the *LORD your King declares.’

Verses 21-24 The nations will see the *Lord’s power when he
punishes them. The defeat of Gog will be a display of the power and purposes of
the *Lord. Then the *Israelites will realise that the *Lord is their God. And
people will see the reason why the *Lord sent his people into *exile.

The nations thought that God could not save his people. But the
*exile of the *Jews did not show a weakness in God. Rather it showed that God
is holy. He sent the *Jews away because they had *sinned against him. When God
punishes the nations, then they will understand this. They will see his power
and his *glory.

Verses 25-29 The *Lord will bring all his people back to the
country called *Israel. There they will live in peace. They will serve the
*Lord their God. They will no longer *turn to false gods. They will be loyal to
their king *Messiah. And God will pour out his Spirit on the people.

This has not happened yet. The *Jews do not live in peace in
their country. They have not accepted Jesus the *Messiah as their king. They
wait still for his return. The nations do not realise that God is holy. But God
has said that all these things will happen in the future.

Word List

AD ~ years after
Christ was born.

allegory ~ the words are not about actual things but are
word pictures of a truth.

altar ~ the special table where people burn animals or
offer other gifts to God or to false gods.

Ammonites ~ a person from the nation called Ammon or
anything that has a relationship with Ammon.

Amorite ~ a person from one of the ancient *tribes that
lived in the country called Canaan.

ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has
come.

angel ~ God’s special servants in heaven. God made angels
to serve him and to take his messages.

Assyrians ~ a person from the nation called Assyria or
anything that has a relationship with Assyria.

Babylonian ~ a person from the nation called Babylon or
anything that has a relationship with Babylon.

barley ~ a type of grain crop.

bath ~ equal to 6 gallons.

BC ~ years before Christ was born.

beryl ~ a precious stone.

break ~ not to perform a promise; not to obey a law.

bronze ~ A brown metal. It glows when in a fire. It
polishes well and it reflects the light. It is very strong.

bulls ~ the male farm animals which mate with cows.

cedar ~ a kind of tree.

Chaldeans ~ another name for the *Babylonians.

Cherethites ~ another name for the *Philistines.

cherub ~ a special *angel who was in the most holy place
in the *temple.

cherubim ~ the group of *cherubs.

circumcise ~ to cut off skin from the end of a male’s
private parts.

circumcision ~ the act or result when someone *circumcises
a man.

clean ~ acceptable to God.

creatures ~ Things that are alive. In this Book of
Ezekiel, Ezekiel saw 4 special creatures. Those 4 creatures are called the
*cherubim.

crocodile ~ a very large animal that lives in and by
water.

cubit ~ a length of about half a metre.

destroy ~ to carry out the most severe punishment
possible; to cause someone to suffer; to kill everyone in a nation.

disaster ~ when something very bad happens.

doves ~ a type of bird.

drunk ~ a description of a person who has drunk too much
alcohol.

dung ~ toilet matter (dirt) that we and animals pass from
our bodies.

eagle ~ a very large and quick bird.

earthquake ~ When the earth shakes, that is an earthquake.

ebony ~ a very hard wood.

Edomite ~ a person from the nation called Edom or anything
that has a relationship with Edom.

Egyptian ~ a person from the nation called Egypt or
anything that has a relationship with Egypt.

elbow ~ where the lower part of a person’s arm joins to
the upper arm.

ephah ~ equal to 22 litres.

eternal life ~ the life with God that will never end.

eternal state ~ the new heaven and the new earth that will
never end.

exile ~ When people have to live in a foreign country they
are in exile. Such a person is called an exile.

fall ~ when enemies destroy a city or a country; when a
person dies suddenly.

gerah ~ equal to one 20th of an ounce.

glory ~ great honour and beauty.

grapes ~ fruit of a *vine (a climbing plant). You can make
grapes into wine.

Hebrew ~ the language of *Israel.

hin ~ equal to one gallon.

Hittite ~ a person from one of the ancient *tribes that
lived in the country called Canaan.

holy ~ a holy object is special; it is only for religion.
God himself and his name are also called ‘holy’. This means that God and his
name are perfect, in fact, even more than perfect.

homer ~ equal to 220 litres.

horns ~ hard bones on an animal’s head; a thing like a
stick, with a point, that grows on the heads of cows and some sheep. On the
corners of the *altar are things like horns, which are called the ‘horns of the
*altar’.

incense ~ something that gives a sweet smell when it
burns. The priests burned it when they praised God in the *temple.

Israel ~ Israel is the nation whose *ancestors were
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The country in which they live is called Israel.
Israel became the name of the northern nation when it separated from Judah.
However, Ezekiel sometimes uses the word ‘Israel’ to refer to Judah.

Israelites ~ the people whose *ancestors are Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob.

ivory ~ the white bony material from the face of an
elephant.

Jews ~ another name for the *Israelites.

keep ~ to perform a promise or to obey a law.

kingdom ~ the place or territory where a king rules.

lead ~ a kind of metal.

Levites ~ members of the *tribe whose *ancestor is Levi,
son of Jacob.

look-out ~ a person whose duty is to warn of danger.

Lord ~ a title for God, to show that he is over all people
and things.

LORD ~ ‘LORD’ is the special name that God gave to
himself. It probably means ‘always God’. This name has a relationship with the
special promises that God gave to his people.

Messiah ~ The *Jews expect a king to come who will save
them. That king, called the Messiah, will rule both them and all people.

millennium ~ the rule of Christ on the earth for 1000
years (Revelation chapter 20).

Moabite ~ a person from the nation called Moab or anything
that has a relationship with that nation.

mina ~ equal to one and a quarter pounds in weight.

mules ~ animals like horses.

oak ~ a kind of tree.

Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible; the *holy
things that the writers wrote before Jesus’ birth.

ox ~ a large and
strong animal that farmers used.

Passover ~ the time of the year when the *Jews remember
how God brought them out of Egypt.

Philistine ~ a person from the nation called Philistia or
anything that has a relationship with that nation.

pour out (anger) ~ to act because of anger.

prophecy ~ a message from God; a gift of the Holy Spirit.

prophesy ~ to speak a *prophecy.

prophet ~ person who speaks for God. He can sometimes say
what will happen in the future. However, false prophets are people who merely
pretend to speak God’s words.

prostitute ~ a woman who receives payment when she offers
her body for sex. There are also male prostitutes.

prostitution ~ what a *prostitute does.

repent ~ to change the mind; to *turn away from *sin and
*turn to God.

ruined ~ the state of buildings and whole cities when armies
destroy everything completely.

Sabbath ~ The Sabbath was the 7th day of the week. God
told the *Israelites to keep it as a special day.

sacrifice ~ The priests killed a special animal and they
burned it on an *altar. That animal was called a sacrifice. They offered a
sacrifice when they asked God to forgive *sins. God made Jesus to be a
sacrifice for our *sins. Animals or people whom God or other people kill for a
purpose are also sacrifices (see Ezekiel 39:17). And people also made
sacrifices to false gods.

sapphire ~ a precious stone.

satisfied ~ content; a description of a person who has had
enough of something.

scorpion ~ a large insect that stings with its tail.

scroll ~ a book in the form of a long piece of material
which one rolls up.

shepherd ~ someone who takes care of sheep.

shields ~ Soldiers carried these in their hands for
protection in battle. They used them like covers, so that swords or other
*weapons could not hit the body.

sin ~ Sin means the wrong things that we do. To sin is to
do wrong, bad or evil deeds and not to obey God. People are called sinners
because of their sins.

son of man ~ Ezekiel. ‘Son of man’ was the title that God
used for Ezekiel. It emphasised that Ezekiel was a mere man. Ezekiel would have
to depend on God’s Spirit to make him strong. Only then could Ezekiel do what
God told him to do.

spears ~ long sticks with sharp ends that soldiers used as
*weapons of war.

spices ~ a vegetable substance with a sweet flavour or a
strong smell. People use spices in food or as *incense.

stubborn ~ to have an attitude that will not change.

sulphur ~ Sulphur is a chemical. A fire that burns
with sulphur is extremely hot. And sulphur burns with an awful smell.

temple ~ a special building for the *worship of God or
other gods. The *Jews had one in Jerusalem for the *worship of the real God.

thorn bush ~ a thorn is a sharp bit on a bush.

throne ~ the special chair for the king.

tribe ~ The *Israelites were divided into the 12 families
of the sons of Jacob. These families are the 12 tribes of *Israel.

trumpet ~ a musical instrument. A trumpet makes a loud
sound when a person blows into it.

turn ~ to change your behaviour, your friends, or your
God; or, to carry out actions in order to oppose someone.

turquoise ~ a precious stone.

umbilical cord ~ that which joins a baby to its mother;
someone must cut it after the birth.

unclean ~ unfit for sacred purposes. Unclean food is food
that the *Jews should not eat because of their religion. When the *temple was
unclean, it was not right for the *worship of God.

vine ~ a plant on which *grapes grow.

vision ~ something that God shows to a person but not with
the physical sight. Visions are often in the form of dreams.

weapon ~ a tool of war. People use weapons for attack or
defence when they fight. For example, swords, *spears or (today) guns.

willow ~ a kind of tree.

wolves ~ wild animals that are similar to large dogs.

worship ~ an act to give honour to God (or to a false
god). When people praise and thank God.